Can You See Me Now?
by DarthGumdrop
Summary: Naruto Uzumaki was a mass of conflicting fronts and ideas. He was loud and stupid, but shy and intelligent. He was sunny and always smiling but wept in the silence of his room. What will happen when he catches the attention of T&I's Ibiki, and his two new teammates? Will they be able to unravel the complex web of disguises that Naruto has woven? Watch and see.
1. Chapter 1

**Can you See Me Now? Chapter 1: Graduating Class is so dull…**

Naruto Uzumaki, a short blond boy with bright smiling blue eyes and a horrendously orange jump suit, was fidgeting in his seat. The class was almost over for the day and he couldn't sit still any longer. Iruka-sensei was going over the information for the Genin exam that would take place the following day. Naruto was hoping to be able to pull off his plan without any problems. The past two exams had ended badly for various reasons. His first one, two years ago now, he had begged Iruka for weeks to be allowed to enter the exam early. Naruto had been hoping that he would be able to get just the right mix of average and just below, with a couple of obvious advanced areas to graduate without much attention being brought. That hadn't been the case.

He had bombed the written test far too much, and his taijutsu was too lenient for the teachers to allow him to pass on kunai and shuriken accuracy alone. The clone jutsu was what really got him though. He hadn't expected them to insist on only three clones. When the boy practiced on his own, as no one would be willing to help him anyway, he always made at least ten clones. He knew they weren't exactly the academy standard ones, but they worked well enough. His version only had one hand sign too! But that hadn't been allowed in the exam.

And so the boy utterly failed his first graduation test. That was alright though, he had reasoned at the time. He now knew what to expect from it the next time around. But his karma was apparently still as black as it could be. Iruka hadn't been on the team of teachers conducting the exam the next year. There was one kunoichi and two shinobi, all of whom made their disdain of the boy quite clear in the first few seconds after he walked in the door. The glares he had received made him flinch, despite having dealt with similar things all his life. He had slunk to the back and tried to be as invisible as possible. It hadn't worked. He had been called first to do all of the demonstrations- in front of the entire class!

Naruto had paled and tried to make sure his hands weren't sweaty. He always had more trouble with the seals when he was nervous or his hands were wet. It hadn't made a difference in the end. The boy could feel all eyes on him, something he couldn't stand. Even after his attempts to get over his fear with his many pranks and being openly called out for them, he still felt his chakra and nerves fluctuating wildly with unease.

He remembered thinking he wished he could be swallowed up into the floor as he stood and failed his ninjutsu test. That exam day had been the worst day at school he could recall. The entire day, he was the target of all the teacher's ill will. The kunai he was given were tampered with and the shuriken bent, his test looked different than the others and he was pitted against the taijutsu prodigy Rock Lee in his spar. Understandably, he had failed miserably again.

And now it what the third year he had entered these exams. This entire year had been horrible. Bullies and teasing were only the tip of the iceberg. Life outside of school had also taken a turn for the worse. His little apartment had long been his haven, a somewhat safe place away from all the glares and insults. On the days he had to go out in the village, being hit with rocks and rotten food, he would always hurry home to curl up in his futon and look through his worn set of books and scrolls and pretend the outside world didn't exist.

This was one of the only reasons he was capable of doing much better at school than he showed. Jiji had taken time out of his busy schedule to teach the little blond to read and write when he was five or so. The extensive set of scrolls had mysteriously shown up on his kitchen counter a few weeks before he started the Academy when he was seven. Basics like history, math, geography and chakra paths were supplemented with more advanced scrolls on ninjutsu, taijutsu, kenjutsu and even a few on the art of sealing. The lonely boy had devoured all of them, and to his confusion, more kept appearing as time went on.

He had a box of over seventy scrolls and books now after five years of collecting them. He had read and studied and trained to the best of his ability when other children would have been off playing or spending time with family. Naruto never gave it much thought though. He had never been exposed to those things, and their lack was nearly unnoticed.

He did notice the sudden increase of violent activity recently. Before, he would be yelled at and thrown out of stores often, but never had people actively come after him. In the last year he had been chased or attacked at least once a week. His speed and stamina had increased drastically out of necessity. He could only find so many places to hide after all. His home too, was now a target. Spray painted words and threats were all over the walls when he came home from class and his things would disappear. His precious books had been saved only because he kept them in flat boxes beneath the floorboards.

Naruto had trouble sleeping, fearing that he would be caught unprepared. He also avoided the markets and stores even more than usual now. These two things, lack of sleep and food, contributed heavily to his current fidgety state. He was watching the clock, tuning out Iruka-sensei's voice and the murmurs of the other children. Minutes before he would be free, a sharp pain radiated suddenly from his forehead. He blinked, and heard the piece of chalk clatter to his desk. Sniggers and taunts of "dead last" and "typical moron" filled the room. Iruka was glaring at him, hands on hips.

"Naruto! This is important. Are you listening now?" Ah, there it was, the only person other than Jiji who would actually try to help him. Iruka's glares were not harsh and demeaning like all the others. The scarred teacher just wanted him to learn and do him best. _Sorry Sensei,_ thought the boy with true regret. _You probably won't ever see my best._ Naruto was very fond of Iruka, and it was sad that the blond was hiding things from him. But it had to be done. The boy grinned, closing his eyes, and rubbed the red spot on his forehead.

"Hahah! Of course I was listening Iruka-Sensei! I am totally gonna graduate this time, believe it!" He said loudly. Iruka just nodded wearily.

"Now then, tomorrow at eight, we will begin the exam. Please be on time, or even early." He glanced at the clock. "Dismissed, see you all tomorrow." The mad rush of small bodies to get out the door was loud, covering the nearly silent escape of one orange clad boy out the closest window.

Naruto leapt from roof to roof, safely above the heads of temperamental villagers. _Thanks god! I can go home now, and study. Maybe I can even afford to go to Ichiraku's tomorrow._ He entered his apartment through the small window and quickly set up a trap in it. His door was already laced with four different traps in case anyone tried to get in. They didn't always keep people out, but they helped. The boy was eternally grateful to whomever was gifting him with all his books. The book on traps and snares was a very recent addition. He flopped on his futon and carefully pulled up the boards near his feet. His box of taijutsu scrolls was pulled out and he began to reread the second level ones for tomorrow. He drifted off to sleep like that after hours of reading.


	2. Chapter 2

Hi! I forgot to put an author's note in the first chapter, so you get it now. First, I do not own or make any profit from this fan fiction. Second, I would like to ask if you all would prefer to have a lot of stuff posted all at once, or if you'd rather see spaced out updates. I do have about 30 pages of this story that are finished, and I could post most of it now. I know that I personally like having regular updates rather than sporadic ones. What do you all think? Also, what do you think of the length of the chapter? Thanks, DarthGumdrop.

Light was filtering in from the rising sun when the boy jerked awake. His damaged clock read six twenty. He sighed in relief. _Plenty of time to shower and get everything in order._ The water was cold, so his shower was brief. Naruto grabbed one of this non orange outfits to wear today. He only had three, and he wore them very rarely. Today he chose a muted blue tee shirt, a mesh long sleeve undershirt, brown pants and black sandals. He wore his grey weapons pouch and a sleeveless brown hoodie with a subtle orange and black spiral on the back. He took time to cook a few vegetables and some eggs from his meager supply and went on to carefully rebind the handles of his kunai and sharpen each one of his shuriken and senbon. He then moved on to his meditation. This the Hokage had suggested to him after last year's exam.

Naruto didn't meditate every day, as it was difficult for him to calm his mind and put himself at risk by being relaxed, but it did help him when he managed it. If he ever really _needed_ to be calm, it was today. So the boy sat on his futon and closed his eyes. He sat cross legged with his hands on his knees. _Breath in, and count, 1, 2, 3. Then exhale. Breath in…_ By the time his alarm went off at quarter to eight, Naruto was almost asleep. He stretched slowly and reluctantly headed out.

The morning was fairly quiet, even near the academy. He dropped down to the street behind a building adjacent to the Academy and slowly made his way to the entrance. He wasn't really noticed, as he walked in with a few of his classmates. He shuffled into the room and sat in the middle of the back row. The perfect place to observe others, while going unnoticed. He took a moment to look around and noticed a small table set up off the the side of Iruka's desk. It had three chairs, a pitcher of water and three glasses on it.

Before he could get too curious, Iruka walked in with three older men Naruto had never seen at the Academy before. They stood chatting quietly until all the Genin hopefuls were seated. Iruka turned and clapped twice to quiet the class.

"Alright, now, as I mentioned yesterday this year's exam will be a bit different from before." Naruto's gut wrenched at that. _No! What if my plan won't function in this situation!? I planned it so well, but with an unknown thrown in-!_ Iruka kept talking and the blond forced himself to listen attentively. "These three shinobi will be observing all parts of the will be the ones to organize the teams after graduation. They will be analyzing your skills and weaknesses so you can be placed on a team that will function well. I'll introduce them now." All three were intimidating. The first was a tall man wearing a black trenchcoat and bandana. His face was scarred diagonally. "This is Ibiki Morino, he is a special Jonin." The second man was a tad bit shorter, with dark hair pulled back in a bushy ponytail, Jonin vest and tan hide vest over a mesh shirt. Iruka gestured to the man. "This is Shikaku Nara, the Jonin commander." The third man was by far the least scary, to Naruto anyway. He was blond, with light blue-green eyes and wore a red haori over the standard Jonin vest and a simple black outfit. "Inoichi Yamanaka is a member of the Intelligence division." Iruka smiled and bowed slightly to the three as the walked over the the table.

Naruto was nearly shaking by now. He had heard of Inoichi and Shikaku before. They were both parents of classmates. Ino was bright and confident in herself, and she looked remarkably like her father. Naruto had often heard her telling another girl called Sakura things about psychology and observation she learned from her dad. Shikamaru Nara was nearly a carbon copy of Shikaku, down to their facial expressions and mannerisms. Naruto knew that the Nara clan was hailed as a clan of geniuses, so that meant Shikaku was likely even smarter than Shika. _God must hate me, for this to happen. How can I even hope to make it, with them watching me?_ The boy could feel his hands shaking at the thought of being scrutinized by any one of the powerful, intimidating jonin. Iruka cleared his throat over the few murmur that had broken out.

"A-hem, I will be handing out papers for the test, do not turn them over yet." There were a few seconds of quiet shuffling. Naruto stared at his desk, not wanting be forced to see the doom that had befallen him. He knew that this would one of the last chances he would have to graduate. Any longer and he might be dropped from the Academy. _I have to! Somehow, I just have to make it work. Maybe I can just stick to the plan? They will probably be more concerned with the clan kids anyway. Hinata and Sasuke and Kiba especially. They might just overlook a nobody like me. Y-yeah, that might be right…_ A paper was slid across his desk. The blond glanced up to see Iruka smiling at him.

"Good luck." He whispered. Naruto forced a grin back. Once all the test's had been passed out, Iruka called start. Naruto quickly studied the fifteen question test. He could have easily answered all of them, but for his plan to work, he had to have a fairly consistent lower level. Taking a closer look, he saw a mixture of five different types of questions, in sets of easy, moderate and difficult. He chose two difficult ones to answer, and the rest of the difficulty he would be wrong. Then he answered four of the moderate ones correctly, failing the last one. He answered all the easy ones. _That should give me a score of about sixty or seventy. Not awful, but far from good._ He sat back satisfied, glancing up to see how much time he'd spent. He winced, _Only ten minutes!_ He leaned back over his paper and pretended to be working still. _I can't be too fast, that would give it away._ He rolled his shoulders and tried to ignore the feeling of eyes on him for the remaining twenty minutes. Inoichi and Shikaku met with Ibiki the night before the Academy graduation test to go over their plans. The three jonin were all rather pleased that the Hokage was allowing more detail and thought to go into Genin team placement this year. The older two had a vested interest as their heirs were taking the test. Ibiki was to be the impartial one to balance the others.

"So, what do you think we should look for?" The Yamanaka inquired. Shikaku slowly sipped his tea before answering.

"I would expect to see the clan children being capable in their various family skills, but the civilians might be more imbalanced skillwise. What I would be looking for would be complementary strengths and weaknesses. But primarily, personality matches." The blonde man nodded slowly. He knew much of the success of his old Genin team had been the close bonds the three of them shared. Ino-Shika-Cho was famous to this day for it's impeccable teamwork. Ibiki spoke up next.

"We should assess their personal weaknesses and strengths as well as their interaction with the rest of the class." They sat together for another half hour to work out who was looking for what before going their separate ways.

They met again the next morning and walked to the Academy together. They started their observation as soon as the walked in the door. Shikamaru and Choji were sitting close together by a window, Ino and a pink haired girl were on either side of the dark haired Uchiha boy. Kiba Inuzuka sat in the center of the room with a few civilian children. The shy Hyuuga heiress was near Kiba, but not a part of the group. Shino Aburame was in the back row, rather distinctly alone. The only other occupant of the back row was a blond boy dressed in brown.

Inoichi began tagging the more vocal students, Ino, Sakura, Kiba and Shikamaru were probably the most vocal. Sasuke and Shino were nearly silent, but likely highly capable. Choji and Hinata were good natured and kind, but unpopular. The civilians were mostly fairly moderate, they were in a situation and part of the world that they were not raised to deal with, and would struggle with parts of the Ninja world. The blond boy in the back though, he caught the Yamanaka's attention. His posture and clothing suggested that he was more comfortable than civilians with shinobi culture, but the tense way he held his body, and his position away from the others didn't fit. He glanced at Ibiki to see him scanning the group of pre-teens. Shikaku nudged him and shot a glance at the blond. Iruka introduced them and they took their places at the table. Inoichi leaned over to his old friend.

"You noticed the blond kid? What do you think." Ibiki chimed in from his other side to answer Inoichi.

"He and the Hyuuga girl stuck out to me, along with the Aburame boy." Shikaku frowned a bit.

"The blond, is he Naruto Uzumaki? He should be in this class I think. Not what I expected from the boy. Around town he is loud and makes trouble." Ibiki watched the children flip their papers and scramble to write. The three he noted were watched especially closely. The Hyuuga girl flushed and clumsily fussed with her pencil at first but then quickly focused on the work, only pausing between questions slightly. The Aburame boy had no emotion as he worked through it, not even pausing. The blond- Uzumaki he reminded himself was very…. Interesting. The boy scanned the page, then looked at it again more closely. The interrogator noted the observant looks his two companions gave the boy. He bit at his lip and closed his eyes, _nervous habit, thinking?_ And the he quickly started to answer the questions in the oddest way. He appeared to skip the top bit if the paper in favor of a spot almost halfway down, only to skip to the bottom and then back to the top.

He did this with a look if concern and frustration on his face. The entire paper was completed this way, and in a very short amount of time. Shikamaru was the only other child who was finished. Ibiki watched a flash of shock and sudden fear cross the boys face and he ducked down to move his pencil over the completed paper. The Jonin could tell he wasn't exerting enough pressure on the pencil to mark the paper. _Interesting, I'll want to see how good his grade is…_ He went back to watching the rest of the class, _lot of fools,_ and made more discoveries. The pink haired civilian thought she was smart and very capable, but obviously lacked the backbone that a ninja would require. Sasuke Uchiha was much the same in a way. The dark eyed boy was arrogant and relied in his family name and the Massacre for much of his position. The Inuzuka brat was wild and unruly, but he also focused wholly on the given task, a good skill once cultivated a bit. Ino Yamanaka watched him as much as he watched her. The brave little blond would turn her head to see their table in the corner of her eye while doing her test. _She is confident, but also seems aware of herself and her abilities._ He wondered what his fellow observers would say in the few minutes they had between parts if the exam.


	3. Chapter 3

Naruto fake doodled until the bell rang to signal the end of their time. He could hardly hold in his sigh of relief. He had almost screwed up! He had no idea if he had really been feeling eyes on him the whole time or if that was just his paranoia speaking. Iruka gathered up the tests and sat at his desk to grade them. Nervous murmurs could be heard in the quiet that followed. Naruto rested his head on the desk top. _God, help me make it through today without to much trouble…_ A loud squawk from a chair had him glancing up to see his teacher standing.

"Ok, Haruno, 100%, Uchiha, 100%, Nara 100%, Hyuuga 99%, Aburame 98%, Yamanaka 96%, Inuzuka 85%, Akimichi 85%, Uzumaki 76% You all score two to three points in the tests. Now..." He filed through all the tests announcing the scores. Only two students had failed this time. Iruka was pleased. Even Kiba and Naruto had done fair enough to pass. As long as they did well in the other tests. Naruto was pleased with his grade, just enough above the halfway mark to give him points on this section. He would try to get a similar balance out of the other parts of the test. Iruka smiled at his class.

"We will have a ten minute break, then head outside for the kunai and taijutsu tests." Chatter instantly roared to life. The three Jonin rose and walked over to the desk. Naruto was slightly worried when he noted them going through the tests. If they had watched him carefully enough, his pattern might be noticeable. He slumped him his chair and hopped nothing would be noticed.

Shikaku picked up the test he was most interested in and scanned it quickly. Neat, yet childish handwriting named it's writer as Naruto Uzumaki. He focused on the same places the boy had first skipped to and noticed they were all advanced questions. The second pattern were the moderate and last the easy questions. He also noted that there was a pattern of correct and incorrect answers. Ibiki and Inoichi examined the paper with him. Ibiki was the first to comment.

"The boy did it on purpose, rigged his test." Inoichi nodded absently, mind racing to reason out the boys actions. Shikaku huffed.

"He planned very carefully, spreading out his 'mistakes' between all three difficulties, and he got just enough right to score his two points. What is he doing I wonder?" Inoichi frowned.

"Did you see him freak when he noticed he had finished so early? He looked afraid. Why? And his posture and actions contradict." The interrogator nodded.

"He dresses like a ninja, but has discomfort different than the civilians. He was tense, like he expected an attack." Shikaku fingered the incriminating paper.

"Maybe he rigged the test so he could go unnoticed. He sat in the back and dressed in very plain cloths. In fact, his position is perfect to watch everyone else without being noticed himself." Ibiki smirked at Shikaku's thought.

"Smart brat. But one of us will have to put a stop to it." The others glanced at him, waiting for and explanation. "We cannot judge his skill accuracy with him hiding it." Inoichi sighed, running a hand through his long hair.

"You're right. But I don't think it would be a good idea to directly confront him. The boy looks defencive and if someone comes at him with accusations, he'll likely react badly." Ibiki huffed. Kids were troublesome at best. So delicate and naive. Shikaku leaned back against the desk.

"What if we announce that anyone caught rigging any part of the test will automatically fail?"

"The boy would likely just hold back even more." The youngest jonin pointed out. "I think it would be best to catch him before they start and intimidate him into actually trying." Inoichi shrugged.

"Tricky, but it might be the best option. We have to be quick about it. There are only five minutes left." Ibiki glanced about and noted the boy still sitting in the back row.

"I'll see to it. You two can go out and watch the rest." Shikaku and the Yamanaka quietly slipped out the door and left the interrogator to his task.

Naruto was resting in his seat, hoping that he could get his nerves settled before he had to go out and perform again. Footsteps in the suddenly silent room startled him. He glanced up to see the tall, dark clothed man stalking up to him. The rest of the room was empty. Naruto felt his blood run cold. _W-what did I do? What if he's like others… after me. No no no no…. This can't be happening-!_ Ibiki could see the boy tense and his breathing speed up. He purposely loomed over the seated boy and stared down at him.

"Well, boy, wouldn't you like to know your rigged test was excellently done." Naruto paled even more at the sharp, predatory grin flashed at him. "Most shinobi wouldn't lie and cheat their fellow ninja, would they? Do you want to know what will happen to you if you do such a thing again?" The blond felt clammy and panicked. They knew, and obviously the three jonin were not happy with his deception. He barely managed to shake his head in response to Ibiki's question. The jonin leaned closer, invading the boy's personal space.

"I won't tolerate it. If I find you've been manipulating these tests again, well, the village will just be one genin student down." By now Naruto was panting, almost to pass out. Ibiki judged him scared enough to obey. Plus, he was nearly out of time. "You will be truthful and accurate from now on, got it?"

"G-got it." Naruto squeaked out jerking back against his chair for more distance. The jonin stalked away without another word, leaving the youth shaking and feeling ill.

Outside, lines of targets had been set up at various distances from a rope line. The students were milling about, chattering in small clusters. Naruto slipped out just before Iruka called them to line up. The blond was painfully aware of the three jonin watching from the sidelines. _What am I supposed to do!? Morino-san said… I can't! Everyone will be after me then! Like the first days of school. I-I…_ The boy was still shivering, now wishing he had just not come at all today. Repeating the Academy again would be a pleasure compared to what he felt right now. His promise to the Hokage was the only thing keeping him there. _I told him I would pass, and become a ninja he could be proud of…_ Thinking of the old man who had cared for him, been _kind_ to him forced some much needed resolve into him. He joined his classmates in the line and did his best to ignore the shaking of his hands and the feeling of eyes on him. _For Jiji, I'll try._ He swallowed hard and waited for his turn.

Naruto was second to last, only Shikamaru was behind him. He watched the others, and forced his breathing to be steady. He occupied his mind with attentively watching each person's throws. Hinata was the first to surprise him with her eight out of ten in kunai and shuriken. He had expected Sasuke to get an almost perfect score, and for Sakura to only get half. The civilian children had varying degrees of success. Ino, Choji and Kiba had good scores. He gulped after Kiba stepped back. It was his turn. Naruto stepped forward and accepted the ten kunai Iruka handed him. Iruka's smile steadied him enough for the blond to weigh and balance the throwing knives. _I can do this, ignore everyone else, pretend this is practice out in the woods…_ He flipped the kunai around to hold four in his hand. He stepped up to the line and flicked his wrist before he could think to much. Four _thunks_ , he didn't look to see the targets. He held the next three kunai by their blades and threw again. The last three he threw a second after the other three. He finally looked up and almost cringed at the ten bull's eyes he had scored. Iruka and the rest of his classmates were stunned. The loser, always screws up idiot had scored a perfect ten! The tanned teacher coughed.

"Ah, well, very good Naruto." He handed over a stack of shuriken. Naruto closed his eyes and picked them up. These he threw in two sets of five, with the same results as before. Iruka was truly stunned by now. He couldn't help watching his favorite student with bewildered pride. He knew Naruto was playing clown to some extent, but he never would have guessed that the loud blond was so capable. After marking down the scores, and shooting a glance at the three jonin to see pleased, and suspiciously _not_ shocked faces, he asked the blond if he had anything else to show for this part of the test. He always asked, even though none of the student ever willingly did more work than necessary.

"Is there anything else you want to demonstrate?" Naruto glanced quickly over to Ibiki and the others before slowly nodding.

"I-i guess so?" Iruka blinked and then hurriedly gestured to the rope line.

"Go on, have at it Naruto." Naruto wiped sweaty hands on his brown pants and pulled out a bundle of senbon. He counted out ten, then with a flick of his wrist, launched them. He didn't have to check this time. Senbon were his best projectile weapons.

Ibiki shared a surprised glance with Shikaku. Inoichi just frowned and quietly commented. "Didn't his form look very much like a jonin on all three of those? And what Genin learn to use senbon?"

Naruto quickly accepted his senbon back and shuffled off to the side. Shikamaru took his place and lazily scored a nine out of ten. Iruka was still trying to reason out Naruto's sudden display of skill as he totaled the scores and announced points. He called the first names of his students out of habit, to distracted to follow the usual exam protocol.

"Sakura one, Sasuke two, Shino three, Choji two, Ino two, Hinata three, Kiba two, Naruto three." There were murmurs of disappointment from several, and no one could really miss Sasuke's glare. Naruto shrunk back and stuck closer to Shikamaru, who just yawned and blinked tiredly. "Now, we have arranged pairs for the taijutsu matches. You will each get two chances, even if you lose the first match. It will be a two minute match, or elimination if you are pushed or thrown out of the boundary. The first match is Kiba vs Ino." Kiba loudly protested having to fight a girl, saying he couldn't be expected to fight a weak thing like Ino. Iruka hushed him and the match started. Neither one really made much headway, as Kiba was reluctant to attack the girl and she was less offensive. Iruka called the match after the two minutes were up. He would have the Jonin score all the matches. Next were two civilians, both boys, who ended up wrestling out of the ring. Shino fought Shikamaru, Shino won by pushing the other boy out of the ring. Hinata vs Sakura and Hinata closed most of the other girls chakra points and was then able to simply wait out the time limit. Choji fought Sakura and knocked the girl out of the ring just as the match ended. Naruto was called to fight Sasuke.


	4. Chapter 4

"Why me? What did I ever do?" He mumbled as he took a fighting stance. The jonin were still watching, there would be no way for him to pull anything, and honestly, he wasn't sure Iruka would accept it if he did. The boy was stuck, forced into performing at his full ability. He wasn't really sure how he would fare, as he never really practiced against real people. Yes, he was quick, but he knew the Uchiha was also very good at taijutsu.

And what would happen in the event that he won? He was a nobody, against a clan heir, he didn't stand a chance of going unnoticed if he won. The village held the Uchiha clan, or what was left of it, in such high regard and so did the teachers here. Surely he would be failed for some made up offence? He bit his lip and peeked up at his opponent. Sasuke was glaring at him still as they stood waiting.

Iruka called start and Sasuke instantly leapt forward to strike at Naruto's shoulder. The blond easily ducked under the kick and reached out to jab at the other's lower leg. His blow hit, but it didn't even phase the rookie. Naruto rounded and followed up his jab with a sweeping kick that forced the Uchiha to dodge. Naruto pressed on, keeping the other boy moving. Sasuke was getting angry now, being shown up by the class clown. He growled and twisted to the left to get behind the blond boy. He stuck out a foot and kicked Naruto in the gut. The younger boy was able to curl away from the blow slightly, but he still gasped out and staggered slightly. Sasuke smirked viciously and tried to press back. Naruto recovered in seconds though. He scowled at the look he got from the other.

Using the moves and form from his scrolls, Naruto lowered his body slightly, curling his arms close to his body. He lashed out in a series of lightning fast jabs and kicks. Most found their marks, shoulders, elbow and knee joints. Naruto could tell his plan was almost finished. Sasuke was moving more stiffly and with a distinct lack of the grace he had displayed at first. Going for the joints was making them lock slightly each time a hit connected. _It should only take a little more…_ The blond put on a burst of speed, sensing the end of the match coming. His fists and feet connected with Sasuke's elbows and his right knee and suddenly the dark haired boy collapsed sideways. Iruka called the match as Naruto stepped away.

The teacher was aghast again. He had almost gotten so caught up in the fluid, dance like battle that he forgot to end it. Naruto, who had looked ready to bolt when entering the ring, had systematically locked most of the other boys joints. Iruka hadn't seen an Academy student this advanced since Rock Lee. Naruto was not nearly as specialized as the odd boy, but clearly he was far beyond the Academy basics, or even first level genin styles. There was silence, stifling and complete as the number one unpredictable ninja quietly walked away. Iruka and Mizuki, his assistant for the exam helped Sasuke up.

The Uchiha boy was murderously glaring at his opponent. His knee and both arms refused to move still and he could feel bruises forming around the places the blond had hit him. Iruka let Mizuki help the boy over to a bench, where he was sat next to Sakura who, despite having her chakra points blocked, bounced eagerly in her seat. Sasuke turned his harsh stare on her, but she giggled and scooted so close their shoulders touched. Sasuke snarled at her to no effect.

With Mizuki tending to the two out of commision students, Iruka went on to pair up the rest for their second matches. Every one of the genin hopefuls watched Naruto with mixtures of awe, shock and curiosity. Naruto was pale again, and hiding his shaking hands in his pockets. He just knew this would be the end of him. He had beaten and humiliated the Uchiha prodigy, the rookie of the year. The girls would be out for his blood for being mean to 'their Sasuke-kun' and the villagers, heaven forbid they hear about this. He wouldn't be surprised if his apartment was torched! Nope, he was just dead. He hoped he could at least talk to Jiji about this before anything happened.

"Naruto?" He jerked and looked up at Iruka with wide, dilated blue eyes. His Iruka-sensei tensed and sucked in a breath, seeing the abject fear and panic in his student's face. Then Iruka smiled, hiding the abrupt worry he couldn't help but feel for the boy. "It's your turn again." He offered gently. The boy blinked, swallowing hard before turning and seeing Choji standing in the ring waiting. _Choji… at least he won't hate me it I beat him. He's nice enough… I hope._ He walked over, breathing slowly and trying not to think of all the things that were doubtlessly going to go wrong for him in the very near future. He forced his mind to focus, blocking out the fearful whispers and the crawling sensation of eyes watching him.

Choji nodded at him when he took his position opposite. The genial demeanor of the rotund boy eased Naruto's anxiety marginally. It was just enough for him to carefully defeat the other boy without embarrassing him. It took only half of the allotted time for Naruto to force Choji out of the ring. Iruka called the match and dismissed the class for a half hour break in which the scores for this section would be counted up.

Most of the children flocked together in small groups. Glances at each other and whispered recounts of everything made Naruto even more ill at ease. He was nearly twitching with nerves by now. He felt shaky and lightheaded. He was overcome with gratitude when Iruka touched his shoulder and turned him to look up at the man.

"Hey, you want to go in for a bit?" He offered. Naruto nodded. The hand on his shoulder gently pushed him towards the door. It was a welcome warmth.


	5. Sasuke, Part 1

**Author's note:** This is a sort of trial chapter. I really like Sasuke's character, despite how bad he seems here. I really wanted to include him in this story, but He and team Ibiki wouldn't be meeting up for quite some time. I also have a few people who wanted more and longer chapters. So, this is a trial of sorts. I might try to add in these chapters focusing on Sasuke in addition to Naruto's part. Give me feedback. How do you like Sasuke being included? Do you want to see anyone else added in? Please let me know. Thanks for all your support! I love knowing that some people enjoy my writing!

 **Sasuke's Story**

Sasuke Uchiha, one of the last Uchiha in the Village Hidden in the Leaves, and in the world at large, was pissed! He, rookie of the year, had been showed up by the moron Uzumaki, _twice_ , in the Academy graduation exam yesterday. He could still hardly believe the way he had been bested in their spar. _He_ , not that dolt, was the one who had extra training every day, who drilled each jutsu and kata everyday.

He had a brother to tutor him, when Itachi had time anyway. It made no sense for that... pesant to have beaten him at anything. Sasuke was genuinely, royally furious. The peasant had never done well at any part of the academy before, why now? Sasuke had to wonder if the dumb blond had cheated. Although, with all those Jonin watching the exam it wasn't likely. And now he had stayed up most of the night, stewing in anger.

Sasuke huffed and kicked moodily at his bed sheets. The sun was starting to come up by now. Itachi was home, for once, so Sasuke would have breakfast with him soon. Then it would be back to the Academy, for the last time. Thank god.

The Uchiha boy stood and went about he routine, shower first, then dressing in some of his cloths, all of course hand embroidered with the Uchiha fan, and then gathering up his weapons. Finally feeling slightly more balanced, from the familiar actions and added to with visions of Naruto being stuck with Sakura and Choji as teammates, Sasuke left his room. The halls were quiet, as the always were, ever since- No, just always quiet. He ignored the portraits up on the wall with ease from long days of practice. The kitchen door was open, and Sasuke could just see his brother moving around.

"Sasuke, good morning." Of course, Itachi would notice him immediately. He was the head of the Uchiha family, and a Jonin. Itachi was undisputedly one of the greatest ninja in Konoha. Sasuke just hummed in reply, sitting at the low table. Itachi, dressed in casual yukata, joined him moments later. Sasuke ignored the twinge of pain when he noted how huge the table seemed with just the two of them. He started eating after a murmured "Itadakimasu". Steamed fish, miso soup, white rice, and rolled omelets were set before him.

"You received your hitai-ate I see." Itachi spoke after a few minutes passed. Sasuke shrugged.

"I'm the rookie of the year. I couldn't possibly have failed. The teachers at the Academy couldn't bear to fail the last of the Uchiha." He sniffed disdainfully. "They did pass that peasant Uzumaki." Itachi frowned, thinking of the letter he had received late last night. Sasuke continued eating without noticing his brother's change in attitude.

"I will be here all day, so once you are finished with the team assignments and such, come on back. I'll teach you something new." Sasuke light up.

"Ok, I'll be back as soon as I can, nii-san." Itachi smiled slightly back. Sasuke stood up and cleared his dishes and then left the kitchen. Itachi heard the front door close a few minutes later. The ex-ANBU captain pulled out the letter from an inner pocket.

'Letter of recommended treatment of issues…' The man sighed. He knew Sasuke would be very upset, but he had to agree with the statements and recommendations in the letter. He only hoped that it wasn't too much at once. Sasuke might pretend to be strong and unshakeable, but he was far more vulnerable than he realised.

Sasuke ignored all the dummies in the classroom after glaring at Naruto and took his usual seat. He thought over who had graduated. Who would be on his team? He would, of course, be placed with the other students that did at least marginally better than the rest of the rabble. Kiba, he was loud, but capable. One of the civilian boys, Kenji Gin was about the next candidate least likely to hold Sasuke back. He would be a genin, a real ninja after today. He could finally get Itachi to teach him some of the more serious jutsu and kata that he'd been desiring for years now.

Sasuke smirked thinly. He'd grow more powerful now, till no one could best him. He mostly tuned out the first several teams that were listed. Iruka's voice was easy to ignore by now. He sat up once he heard his own name, only to be furious second later. Choji the fatty, and someone named Haku!? The Hell? There had to be a mistake. He was the last Uchiha, clan heir and a highly skilled rookie!

No way he could be teamed up with a lame ass loser like Choji. And he knew that Yuhi Kurenai was a woman. His brother had mentioned the kunoichi once. No way. Sasuke Uchiha would not be placed on a dead end team with a weak, obese teammate, and a stupid female as a sensei. He's take this up with Itachi and the Hokage as soon as possible.

He sat, rigid with fury. People trickled out, and when a woman with long, wild black hair and wearing red and white strode in. He knew that she was Yuhi Kurenai, and at first he made no move to stand. She surveyed the room, and Sasuke momentarily felt his breath catch when he saw her eyes. They were almost blood red, with a darker ring of colour in them. He quickly shook away the similarity to the Sharingan and reluctantly stood up. Choji was already standing next to her. The woman smiled slightly at him when he stopped in front of her.

"Good, let's go then." She turned and lead the pair out. She didn't seem to notice Sasuke's cold look or Choji's nervous shifting. Sasuke was trying to just be patient. He would get things fixed soon. One complaint from him and he would have a new team by this time tomorrow. He followed the woman out to Training Ground 6. Kurenai sat on the grass and gestured to the two boys.

"Alright." She smiled at them. "I would like us all to introduce ourselves." Choji shifted before asking a question.

"Yuhi-sensei, don't we have a third teammate? Haku, right?" Kurenai nodded.

"Yes, Yuki Haku." She turned towards the trees and made a 'come here' gesture. A figure slowly crept out from the patch of trees. Sasuke scowled when the person came into view. She wore a teal haori with white trim over a brown long sleeved shirt and matching brown hakama. Her hair was dark brown and pulled back into a bun covered in white fabric.

Two locks of hair framed her face, clasped at the ends with small silver pieces. Her fingernails were painted green. All together, Sasuke thought she was very pretty, far more so than Ino and Sakura. THe girl seemed shy too. This made Sasuke scowl. A timid, pretty girl would be next to useless in combat. What the hell was the Hokage doing? Setting up a team with two delicate females was just…

Haku sat down, a little farther away from Choji and Sasuke. Choji smiled at them and then turned his attention back to their sensei.

"Now that we're all here, I'll start with introductions. I am Yuhi Kurenai. You can call me Kurenai. I am a Jonin. I graduated the Academy at age 9 and made Chunin at 13. I like to read books, practice genjutsu and study flower language. My dreams would be to be a successful Jonin and eventually marry and start a family." She turned to look a Choji next. The boy blushed slightly and started eating a bag of potato chips.

"Well, _munch_ , I'm Akimichi Choji. I'm 12, the heir of my clan. I like to eat and hang out with Shikamaru _crunch-munch_. I hope to be able to be a dependable teammate and become a Jonin some day." He kept of eating, looking over at Sasuke. Sasuke was frowning, again, still, he wasn't sure. He was far from impressed. A fatty who had next to no ambition and a weak woman. He would have to show them he was different, superior to them.

"I am Uchiha Sasuke. I am the sole heir to my clan. I have very few likes. I will become the strongest, and take revenge on those that destroyed my clan by decimating them." He kept his posture reserved and ignored the looks he got from Choji and Kurenai. Next was Haku. Their voice was soft.

"I'm Yuki Haku. I am the last survivor of my clan and family. I come from the Land of Water. I traveled for several years as a missing nin with Momichi Zabuza. I enjoy studying medicine and anatomy. I wish to become a man who can stand beside Zabuza-san and be equally strong." Choji and Sasuke stared at him oddly.

"Y-you… a _man_ who…? Huh?" Choji spluttered, saving Sasuke from doing so. Kurenai chuckled.

"Haku is a boy. He came to Konoha a few months ago with his teacher, who was a notorious missing nin. He is actually closer to chunin than genin, but the Hokage thought it would be good for him to transition to life as a Konoha shinobi in a genin team." Sasuke was done, just damn well done with today. First he gets a woman as a teacher, then a stupid idiot as a teammate. This, this weird androgynous jerk was the last straw. The Uchiha stood up and turned to glare balefully at the three still seated.

"This team is a joke. I refuse to be held back like this." He stormed off, not listening to Kurenai when she called him back.

He returned home, slipping in through his window, rather than the front door. He wasn't going to see Itachi just yet, first he had to get his head straight. He paced, muttering curses and insults under his breath. This was how Itachi found him ten minutes later. The Jonin had heard his brother come back, a good two hours early. He'd suspected the reason lay in his team assignment. Itachi knocked lightly on the door before entering Sasuke's room.

"Ototo, is something wrong?" Sasuke whirled, his anger getting the better of his minimal patience.

"Yes! Do you know who the put me with?" He went on without waiting for an answer. "A weak woman for a sensei, and two losers. They will do nothing but keep me from my ambitions! I won't stand for this. You will have to come with me to get the Hokage to fix this idiotic mistake. This is totally unbefitting to the last of the Uchiha clan!" His rant brought a frown and a disappointed sigh to his brother. Itachi had hope, with little expectation, that Sasuke would react better than this. He hadn't even told him the worst part of his team. Itachi sat down on the bed and motioned for Sasuke to sit next to him.

"I need you to listen to me, Sasuke." He was usually serious, but something in the way he said that made Sasuke freeze. He slowly sat down and faced his brother. "I know you aren't going to like to hear this, but I need you to listen." He said again. "Ever since the attack," Sasuke flinched. "You have been acting… well very poorly." Sasuke took a breath to complain. "No, I know you deserved some leeway at first, but you changed for the worse Sasuke. You ignore everyone and everything you deem lesser than yourself, and you view yourself as higher than all others. You think that as an Uchiha, you deserve more respect and power than others. This is false." Sasuke scolwed. Itachi reached out to poke his forehead gently.

"I know you are somewhat talented, but you should look at yourself objectively. You aren't the best, and you will have to work hard to gain strength. You can't rely on our kekkei genkai and family name to get you power." Itachi sighed heavily. "I received a letter from the Hokage that held details of your graduation. It is… heavily suggested for you to see a therapist."  
"What!? No! I don't need-" Sasuke burst out, furious. Itachi glared at him, shocking the boy. His brother was one of the most gentle and calm people he knew.

"I know your feelings, I am the one who asked you to see one before. This isn't up for discussion this time. Your position as a genin is conditional." Sasuke sat back, shocked.

"W-what? Conditional?" He couldn't believe this. He was an Uchiha, this wasn't supposed to happen to him.

"You have to be able to treat your teammates and sensei with respect, work with them and become a strong team unit." Itachi gently informed. He didn't want to hurt his baby brother, but he couldn't let his behavior stay this way. "You will have a monthly evaluation from Inoichi Yamanaka with Kurenai-san. If you can't adjust your behavior and assimilate into the team, you will be pulled from the ninja ranks." Sasuke just stared, speechless at Itachi. Itachi stood and poked his brother again.

"I'll be downstair in the study. Think about this. Be honest and examine yourself. This is serious Sasuke. You won't get another chance if you make a mistake this time. You are destroying yourself like this. Please, for me, don't do this." He left.


	6. Chapter 5

Author's note: First, sorry for the late update. My family and I spent the day out of town. Also, I think I got ahead of myself when I posted the Sasuke chapter. It doesn't make much sense at this point. I will move it into a better spot as soon as I post the main story that is fits with. Sorry for the confusion! I hope this chapter makes up for it.

In Iruka's small office, Naruto was perched on the chair with a cup of tea and a small plate of cookies. Iruka was sitting next to him, angled so they were facing each other. The boy was very still and silent, two things Iruka had never thought to describe him as. If he hadn't seen the look on his face after his first match, the scarred chunin would have thought he imagined it.

"Naruto?" He waited for him to look up from the tea cup. "Are you alright?" Naruto just sipped his tea for a long moment.

"M-maybe? No, not- not really…" He choked out. Even more concerned, Iruka leaned over to touch his forehead. His skin was clammy and cold.

"Are you sick? Should I take you to the hospital?" Naruto just shook his head and stared at his feet.

"What's the matter then? You can tell me, you know. You have my word as a former prankster, I won't tell." He tried to bring a smile to his student with the last remark. That was how he got Naruto to listen to him his second year in the Academy. Their shared love of pranks had caught the attention of the boy. The man was rewarded with a small smile tugging at the boy's lip.

"You promise? You can't get mad…" _He sounds so young…_

"I promise I won't be mad at you, no matter what." He solemnly answered. The boy nodded and set his tea and plate on the small coffee table. He curled his knees up and buried his head in them.

"I-I'm afraid." He whispered. Iruka felt his heart melt, and at the same time, hurt and guilt wared. He should have tried harder to reach out to the youth. He knew what it was like to be an orphan. The chunin pulled Naruto close and wrapped an arm around him.

"Afraid of what?"

"Lots of things." Came the muffled reply in a small voice. "I don't want to fail this time, but I can't… just can't stand people watching me. I feel like I can't breath, and I get all shaky. Wh-what if Morino-san thinks I faked again, even if I didn't? He'll be so angry, and and he's a jonin, so he could catch me and-" Iruka shushed him and leaned over to rest his head on top of spiky blond hair. He rubbed a hand down his back to calm the boy.

"Shhhh, it's ok. I'm sure lots of the other students don't like to be up front. Everyone gets nervous sometimes. And what's all this about Ibiki?" Naruto was still shaking and breathing unevenly. He couldn't stop his words now that he had started. He wanted so badly to make the fears and dizziness go away.

"H-he and the other two checked over my written test, and- and they found out I rigged it." Iruka pulled back to frown at the boy.

"You cheated?" That didn't sound right. Naruto might get into trouble for mischievous pranks, but he never cheated or caused trouble at school.

"Yes, no! I did, but only to get a lower score!" He rushed out, seeing Iruka's face he tried to explain. "I didn't want to get higher than 75 percent. B-because if I score below average, just a bit, in the exam no one will notice! I won't get yelled at." Iruka was now thoroughly confused.

"So you were trying to get a low score, so you purposely got answers wrong?" Wide blue eyes stared up at him.

"Yes?" He breathed, fearing his sensei's reaction.

"But- Why would you?" Naruto shrugged.

"I always get in the most trouble when I do things right, so I do them wrong. Like even being polite. People get so mad at me when I try to be polite that I just have to be rude all the time. They just yell at me then. School is the same." He added.

"I have never been upset when you do well. What ever gave you that idea?" Iruka felt anger and violent urges rise up at the boy's comment about the villagers.

"Well," He looked back down at his favorite. "Girota-sensei yelled at me and told me to get out her class the first day of my first year." Iruka wanted to curse his substitute. "All I did was answer a question right and she just smacked me and made me stand in the hall the rest of the day." Iruka hissed out a breath.

"And what does this have to do with the exams? Surely you would want to graduate?" He bitterly recalled the shy way the boy had acted around him after he had gotten back from his mission and started teaching his class. And the way Naruto had begged to be allowed to enter the exam early.

"I… just assumed it was the same. I tried to just get by with the lowest overall score, you know, be good a few things, and pretty bad at the rest, like Rock Lee. Then I could graduate and no one would really have any reason to be mad, or to hurt me." He remembered that exam. How nervous and then disappointed the youth had been.

"Why did you fail again the next year? You did just as badly…" The teacher wasn't trying to be harsh, but he wanted, no _needed_ to know, to understand just how badly he had failed his precious child. Naruto sniffed.

"Y-you weren't there, and the teachers really hated me. I had to go first in all the practicals and the kunai were broken and…" He shrugged. "It just didn't work." Iruka could hardly contain his anger at his fellow teachers. How dare they single out a child to bully!

"And this year?" He asked quietly. The distraught boy was finally leaning in to him.

"I had everything figured out, just how to do all of it, but Morino-san noticed, and h-he said that… good ninja wouldn't cheat like that. And he was scary, so I haven't been able to throw anything except the written test." Iruka let out a breath.

"So what you did outside, that was normal for you?"

"M'hm. I did my best." He leaned back to look at the soft brown eyes of his teacher. "Are you mad… at me sensei?" He rushed on without waiting for an answer. "Cause I'm really sorry, but I didn't mean to cause trouble! Honestly, I just wanted to graduate and be left alone. I promise not to do it again so you don't have to be mad-"

"Hush, none of that now. I am not mad. Surprised, but not mad. I am so proud of you learning so much. I just wish you would have let me know. I could have given you more appropriate lessons." He chuckled lightly, trying to inject some levity into the conversation. "I'm glad it's just this though. I was afraid you were sick there for a minute." Naruto was able to smile finally. He was calmed down for the first time since his arrival that morning. His Iruka-sensei wasn't upset, he was comfy and had some delicious tea. He was feeling so much better, he almost wondered why he had been so upset just a few minutes ago. He refused to think about the dark eyes of the jonin that followed his every move. Instead, he ruffled his spiky hair and smiled.

"You know me, I never get sick. I'm gonna be a totally awesome ninja. Getting sick is to mundane for me!" He held a mock-serious look. Iruka grinned back and then laughed.

"I don't know of many awesome ninja who eat buckets full of ramen." Naruto gasped theatrically.

"Sensei! How could you say such a thing!? Ramen is for fit for a king!" The pair devolved in a fit of laughter. Iruka hadn't let his new findings go, but he couldn't help but laugh with the boy. A knock interrupted them. Iruka noticed Naruto shift uncomfortably. The teacher stood and opened the door to see Ibiki. Naruto flinched and his smile vanished. Iruka looked questioningly at the Jonin.

"I wanted to have a word with you, Umino-san." The teacher nodded slowly, wondering why the Jonin needed him now.

"Naruto, why don't you go on and prepare for the rest of the test? I'll be out in a moment." The boy quietly slipped out the door, giving the grim man a wide berth.

"Is there a problem Ibiki-san?" Iruka asked once the door was closed again.

"Not necessarily." The taller man walked over to lean on the back of the sofa. "I simply had some concerns about a few of your students, namely, the young Uzumaki boy." Iruka shifted, aware that this could end up being a problem.

"Naruto? What about him?"

"Is there a good reason the boy is using chunin level weapons, sensei? I was under the impression that needles were not taught in the academy." Ibiki wanted to see what the man would do when faced with accusation. If you knew what made people angry, you knew much about them in general.

"I-I must say Naruto is giving us all a bit of a surprise today." Iruka was up and pacing. "I just wish it were a better surprise…" He mumbled. _Curious,_ thought Ibiki. _The young teacher seems even more shocked than the rest of us._

"You really didn't know the boy was capable?" Iruka turned to face him.

"No I had not even considered it. I-I hate to say it, but I thought Naruto truly did struggle with the basics. He never did well in anything. I had wondered if it was just the learning environment. Some kids are like that. They do better in real life, practical lessons. I knew he was a bit shy and that he tried to mask it by being a class clown, but I think it went far beyond just timidity." He was rambling by now. The care he had for all of this students and Naruto particularly manifesting in worry. "Hinata is just shy and unsure of herself. Once she has a chance to stand out and accomplish something she will be fine I think. But Naruto… I just don't know. I had no idea he was faking test scores and rigging his class work! If I didn't even notice that, how could I really know him?" The dark jonin had heard enough. He hadn't even had to question or push the young teacher.

"Sensei, I understand that you have a bit of a soft spot for all your students. However it is not possible for you to closely know and understand each one of them. You have done well getting them this far. There is little more you can do." Iruka sagged, recognizing the truth in the statement.

"You're right, of course." He glanced at the clock. Only a few minutes were left. "Besides Naruto, were there any others you had questions about?" Ibiki shrugged slightly.

"The Hyuuga heiress you already spoke of. Shikamaru Nara and Sasuke Uchiha, what do you think of them?"  
"Shikamaru is a nice kid. He is… difficult to motivate, but if he decides to do something he is very capable. He's a bit of an oddball, but if he didn't alienate others for the sake of Choji he might have been popular. He doesn't much care for the opinions of others." He smile thinned as he thought of the other boy. "Sasuke is hard to pin down. He is an excellent student, but I'm not so sure he is really ready to be a full fledged ninja."

"Why?"

"He struggles with simple things like balancing skill sets or group projects. He says he doesn't need to drill the academy taijutsu because he had learned the Uchiha style and it is superior. He doesn't like to be paired up for any assignments or activities because the other student will hold him back. I have tried to talk to him about these things, but I don't think he listens." The Jonin hummed contemplatively.

"Has he ever seen anyone for what happened?" Iruka ran a hand over his face and huffed wearily.

"Not that I know of. I worry that he is too cut off to be able to trust someone enough to talk to them. He doesn't play with any of the others during recess and he won't talk to me or his classmates." The teacher excused himself then to check on the students and prepare for the final part of the test.


	7. Chapter 6

Author's note! I just wanted to address a few things, first of all, parings. A reviewer mentioned it, and I realized I hadn't said anything about them. I don't plan to have any pairings, especially not at the beginning. Also, this story is not a yaoi at all. Second thing, the 'Sasuke' chapter. I wrote and posted that chapter in about two hours, and I didn't even think about how much too early I posted it. The main story was, and is a fair bit behind that part. Sorry about that. I will rearrange it to a better place once the main story is farther along. Thanks for reading!

The jonin took his time rejoining the other two observers. Ibiki thought the same as the teacher. Iruka had done well with his perception of the Nara and Uchiha. He had watched the dark haired boy after Naruto had gone inside. Sasuke had been rude and dismissive of anyone who spoke to him. Only a few blushing girls had been brave enough (or silly enough) to approach him after the medi-nin was finished. It didn't sit well with Ibiki. He knew the results of arrogance and pride far too well to not be cautious. A bell was rung to signal the start of the last exam and Ibiki was forced to put aside his thoughts for the moment.

Naruto had loitered in the hallway outside the classroom after leaving Iruka's office. He felt better and worse after his conversation. Admitting to his beloved sensei he had been lying made guilt gnaw at him, but the understanding made him feel lighter and less afraid. Iruka was the teacher in charge of this exam, so he would be able to understand Naruto. Iruka had told him it was somewhat normal to be nervous or afraid at times. It helped him settle his nerves after the stressful morning. But there was no way Naruto was going to go in the classroom and be stared at by all the other students. He saw Iruka bustle up and slide the door open. Naruto slipped in behind him and took up his spot in the back row with only a few glances. Sasuke glared at him and a few of the others gave him curious looks. They couldn't dwell on him though as Iruka called their attention to the front of the room.

"The scores for the matches are as follows…" Naruto sank into his seat and hoped that for once things would go his way. He had passed, with the taijutsu test with three points. He had seven points so far, and eight was the minimum to graduate. He just had to wait out till his turn for the ninjutsu test. This would be the hardest part. He closed his eyes and let his body slump in his chair. In the background he vaguely registered names being called. Time seemed to slow and speed up at the same time. Finally, and far too soon, Iruka called him down. He followed his teacher into a small room off to the side of the main classroom. A long curved table was set up with a wide clear area in front of it. The three jonin were seated on one end of the table, an empty chair next to Inoichi that Iruka took.

"Alright, for this portion of the test, three jutsu, the henge, kawarimi and clone jutsus, must be successfully produced. The quality and ease of the jutsu will be taken into account on the score you receive." The teacher recited, smiling at his nervous student. Naruto was sweating again under the gaze of the four men. He bit at his lip before closing his eyes. The henge was fairly easy, he'd been practicing his own version of it for years. He hastily ran through the few hand signs and a puff of chakra smoke later he was disguised as one of the chunin that guarded the front gates. Every detail was there, spiky black hair and goatee, bandage across his nose, skin tone and height. He'd even managed to make his henge the exact height of his target.

The four men watching were intrigued for different reasons. Iruka found it odd that Naruto out of all the students so far, would be the first to not transform into himself. Shikaku found it odd that the boy knew what Hagane looked like enough to reproduce it so well. Ibiki and Inoichi found the detail to show something of the boy's observation of others. Iruka smiled wider.

"Kotetsu Hagane, excellent." Naruto changed back with a second cloud of greyish purple smoke. Naruto quickly performed the substitution jutsu with a chair off to the side. He switched back as Iruka noted this down on his sheet.

"Good, now there is just the clone jutsu." He remarked. This caused Naruto to shift uneasily. He shot quick glances at the three jonin before looking at his sensei.

"U-um… Is it… I mean can I-" He gulped. Iruka looked up at him patiently.

"Can you what?" Naruto fiddled with the pouch on his leg.

"Do I have to do the academy clone jutsu?" He mumbled. Iruka felt a bit of tension leave him.

"As long as you are able to produce three clones that are not noticeably clones, you can use any clone technique." Naruto nodded jerkily, a wave of relief washing over him.

"'Kay." He took a step back and crossed his index and pointer fingers on each hand. Ibiki surged up in his chair seconds too late to stop the boy.

"Shadow clone jutsu!" He called. A rush of chakra could be felt before a massive cloud of smoke filled the room. Twenty copies of Naruto filled the room now. All of them were solid and exactly like their creator. Iruka could only blink. He'd never seen this jutsu, not to mention this many clones. Ibiki was still standing, a look of shock visible in his dark eyes. Shikaku looked like he wanted to laugh and Inoichi was frowning slightly. The blond man coughed slightly to break the silence.

"Well, this is unusual. Tell me Naruto, where did you learn this jutsu?"

"Uh, I saw an ANBU do it once. I- I had so much trouble with the Academy jutsu, so I tried this one. It work so…" He wondered if he'd screwed up. Something was wrong, for sure. The interrogator was very stoic, and for him to have that look of shock…

"You decided to try an ANBU technique!?" Iruka squeaked, half in outrage half in amazement.

"Yeah… Is that bad?" The boy self consciously asked. Ibiki slow sat back down.

"That is one of several jutsu contained in a forbidden scroll of the village." He slowly replied. "It creates solid, corporeal clones capable of semi-independent action. It is forbidden because of the massive amount of chakra needed to produce even one of them. Many ninja destroyed their chakra paths attempting it." Iruka blanched upon hearing this. He scuttled around the table to Naruto.

"Are you alright? Are you feeling dizzy or nauseous?" Naruto just looked between the four of them, wide eyed.

"I'm fine," he absently muttered, "Am I in trouble for using this jutsu, since it's forbidden?" He seemed to shrink in on himself a bit. Shikaku answered this time in his lazy drawl.

"Na, it's fine. The only reason it isn't allowed is because it can harm the person using it. But clearly you are fine." He shrugged. "You wouldn't happen to know which ANBU you saw it from?" Naruto was caught off guard by the strange question.

"It was a dog ANBU." Shikaku chuckled a bit.

"Yup sounds like the Hound alright." Iruka pet Naruto's head a moment longer before taking his seat.

"Well… I guess this is all. You can dispel the clones now." Naruto nodded and reached out for his chakra. What wasn't used for the clones came rushing back as they disappeared.

"Am-am I done now?"

"Oh, yeah." Iruka distractedly stood and handed him one of the headbands from the table. Naruto took it with a shaking hand.

"You did excellently in the last three exams. I think you would have been good on the first too." The boy blushed. Iruka smiled at him and walked him to the door. Naruto hurried back to his seat and tried to shrink out of sight. Iruka watched him for a moment, before calling the next name of his list.

Twenty minutes passed and Naruto was clammy and picking at his fingernails. He hadn't been able to ignore the few glances and whispers directed at him. He tried to focus on analyzing his results for today, but he couldn't. Ibiki was also worrying him. The dark man was frightening. It almost seemed like he could see through anything. Naruto wasn't sure where he stood with the him. Was he another one of those who disliked him, or was he just strict? He'd seemed truly shocked when Naruto had used the shadow clone jutsu. Why? Was it really that bad of a jutsu? He wanted to yell and pull his hair out! All these questions were running endless circles in his head. He had passed though. That was most important right now. He had passed, but what team would he end up on?

How were they being put together this year? He knew in the past the test scores had been used. The highest, lowest and the best academically were usually placed together. He knew he would have ended up with Sasuke- who hated him, and Sakura- a civilian girl who was obsessed with Sasuke. But now, he had no idea. There was no way to logic through the numerous combinations without knowing how the three Jonin were planning things. With Sasuke and Sakura he would never have even made it past D rank missions for sure. How could you work together with someone who hated you, and another person who was only going to oogle their team mate? That didn't help him feel any better about the possibilities. He was still anxious and unsure of what was going to happen. Today had been way too much attention for him. Ibiki and Shikaku were too focused on him. Iruka would be now as well. The Hokage might even ask to speak to him…. Oh, god! What if he was sent back to the academy for being deceptive-!

"Ok, that's the end of the exams." Iruka, bless him, interrupted his panicked mental rant. "Those of you who passed should be here tomorrow at eight to be assigned to teams. Dismissed." Naruto caught the heavy look the teacher gave him. He knew from past experience that Iruka wanted to talk to him. Nartuo sighed but stayed put as the rest of the students rushed out. He didn't really want to have to talk, but he understood why Iruka would expect it. He reluctantly joined Iruka once the room had emptied.

"So Naruto, how about we go get some ramen and have a conversation?" Iruka smiled at him. Naruto smiled tentatively back. _At least he doesn't seem mad. Maybe it will be good to talk. Iruka-sensei always understood the pranks after all…_


	8. Chapter 7

Author's note: Wow, this chapter is a bit late in the day. But! I was able to spend the morning experiencing the solar eclipse! It was totally cool. This chapter seems a bit dialogue heavy to me, but it is necessary for the story. Thanks for taking the time to read this. Also, I would like to thank everyone who had reviewed so far! I don't have time to replay to each one, but please know that I greatly appreciate all the encouragement and comments I have gotten! You are all great! Enjoy.

Ibiki shoved his chair back after the last academy brat was done. Were the exams so pitiful and friendly when he was a genin? Inoichi was flipping through his notes from the day.

"Man, it's hard to say if these kids are horrid or have potential." The blond grumbled.

"It seems to be about half and half. Most of them seem to have potential, and a huge hangup." Shikaku yawned.

"The Aburame kid and the Inuzuka are some of the only ones who seem to be balanced already."

"The ones with the most potential also seem to have the most crippling weaknesses. Hinata could be as much of a prodigy as her cousin if she wasn't so self-conscious. The Uchiha boy is a piece of work though." Ibiki nodded when Inoichi said this.

"I think Sasuke Uchiha should be carefully placed." The interrogator stood and began to pace. "He is far to self absorbed and his arrogance will cripple any team at this point." Shikaku sighed.

"This is going to be troublesome… I know the council will be pushing for him to be placed on Kakashi's team. Sharingan training and all that jazz." Ibiki frowned.

"That is the worst possible placement. I would put him with Kurenai, but only after some counseling." Inoichi marked down their ideas for Sasuke and sat back.

"What did all of you get from Uzumaki?" Ibiki grinned predatorily.

"That one is quite the ninja already. I don't think any Academy student has so fully concealed their ability in decades. He has the skills that point to genius like Itachi or the Fourth." The man laughed slightly. "If it hadn't been for the test papers, we may not have really pinpointed what was off with him." Inoichi frowned now. The blond had tried to piece together what he knew of the boy into some kind of profile, but he was coming up with two different results.

"I don't understand him yet. He dresses to blend in and tries to fail the test. He seemed to clam up any time attention was payed to him, yet he is well known around the village for pranks and bad behavior. It almost seems like he was trying to be two different people."

Shikaku let a slow smile spread across his face from his relaxed position at the table.

"Oh my, that makes so much sense now." Inoichi spared him a disparaging glance as his vague statement. The Nara clan head chuckled at his friend. "What would you do if people took a strong disliking to you after you displayed a skill of yours?" The blond man scowled.

"Tell them to beat it. Shikaku, what does-"

"And if you were a lonely, orphaned kid seeking acceptance from said people?" Ibiki scowled darkly. Inoichi cursed.

"You think he hid to be accepted!?" Shikaku only grinned.

"Think about it. Naruto showed advanced and even specialized skill in every part of the exam. I know some of the younger chunin and a few of the old timers have major issues with the kid. The jonin don't, and the chunin who were around during the third war. But the kid would only interact with civilians- who don't have a clue and a few chunin at the academy." Shikaku was really on a roll now. "Fear causes all kinds of reactions, and almost none of them are good. I expect that the kid has hardly ever heard a kind word outside of Iruka. Naruto most likely only had to show his ability once for it to be shut down by someone or other." The three jonin all scowled. Inoichi thought of his little girl Ino. He would be furious if someone destroyed her confidence like that.

"So, what to do with the boy now?" Ibiki voiced. "He has all the skills to he a great ninja, if he receives some guidance." Shikaku nodded.

"I think he should be passed. He has some issued I'm sure. But the hardest thing I see is placing him on a team. He and the Hyuuga girl seem the most delicate to place. Their team could make or break them."

"Ino might be good for Hinata. Hinata seems to have mostly confidence lacking, not ability. Ino is very stable as a kunoichi and she is from a clan. That will make it easier for the two to understand each other." Inoichi was tapping a pen on the table, thinking hard. Ibiki nodded.

"Good, then one other, a boy to balance out things. Kiba Inuzuka would be a good counter point for the two." Shikaku pondered it, voicing his thoughts as they came.

"The Inuzuka clan is very protective of those they deem part of their pack. Hinata would be protected by him. Also, he is loud and boisterous, which may bring Hinata out of her shell."

"So Hyuuga, Yamanaka and Inuzuka will be a team. They would make a good capture team with Kakashi Hatake as their sensei." Ibiki was pleased. "I think Naruto Uzumaki will require a different type of team. He seems to excel as an undercover type, or an all 'rounder. His facade is quite impressive, and long standing it seems." Shikaku slumped in his chair. Naruto would be a bit harder to place. None of them really knew what he was capable of or how far he had advanced. His personality was also in question. Was he shy and unsure, or suspicious and bitter? It was hard to say.

"Shino Aburame might be a good fit. He is fairly average in all areas, but he is a solid boy."

"Yes. And he is quiet enough to not overwhelm Naruto." Inoichi tapped his pen again. "I get the feeling that Naruto will need support, and having to deal with a competitive or more forceful teammate may be more of a struggle than a help." The interrogator spoke up.

"So Naruto Uzumaki and the Aburame. That leaves one more. I don't think having any of the civilians on this team would be good. I know more things go on around that boy in the civilian areas than the shinobi." Shikaku took a mental inventory of the remaining genin hopefuls.

"That pretty much leaves Choji Akimichi and my son." Inoichi nodded. Ibiki let the two men speak first. They, after all, had first hand knowledge of both boys more so than him.

"Choji is a sweet boy, very loyal, but I don't think his skill set would fit well. He would be intimidated by Shino and I don't see him and Naruto benefiting each other on a team." Shikaku agreed readily.

"Yes. Outside of a team they would be good friends if they spent enough time together. But not a good fit for a team. That leaves Shikamaru." The pair looked to Ibiki for confirmation before Inoichi marked it down.

"Good. That just leaves the Uchiha and Akimichi boys and a few of the civilians." There was a long, weighted pause. Each of the three was thinking if the remaining students and how best to place them. Inoichi coughed lightly as preamble.

"Speaking of the civilians, I don't think Haruno should pass at all." He watched the others for their reaction. He knew that it would be a bit of a hardship. Konoha always needed more kunoichi for the field. Many retired earlier to start families. And because if the nature of some of the missions they were sent on, many also retired to escape the rigors. Sakura Haruno was intelligent to be sure, but she lacked the mettle and mindset necessary to be a ninja.

"She is a poorer candidate…" Ibiki concurred. If he had his way, the interrogator would have just cut her immediately. Her being a civilian complicated things. Not many purely civilian children tried out for the ninja academy. It was a bit of an unspoken rule that clan children, even those from much lesser clans, had an edge over others. Many parents protested this, citing unfair advantage over their own progeny. It wouldn't look good for a girl, a _civilian_ girl to be failed. But none of the three were willing to place an unfit ninja on any team. Too many deaths had been a result of such placements. Ibiki sighed.

 _Damn politics, can't even function without breaking some rule or offending some councilman._

"I agree. She just doesn't have the mindset, or the physical ability." Inoichi looked both relieved and a bit sad as he made the note on her test papers.

"Then on to the Uchiha." Shikaku scowled, a departure from his normally bland, bored looks.

"He has some issues. Major ones at that. He is very arrogant and pugnacious. I got the feel that he thinks he is head and shoulders above everybody else because of his family name. And that on top of his wounded hero complex from the Massacre makes him almost impossible to work with." Inoichi hid a smile at the rant. He knew teamwork was pivotal to his old friend. It always amused him to see the lazy Nara react to these situations.

"I agree with that. The boy is clearly still bothered by what happened. Itachi I know has tried to get him to open up or seek out friendships, but the boy hasn't done it." Ibiki confided.

"Itachi is only eighteen. He can't be expected to be able to parent Sasuke on top of being a jonin and off and on in ANBU. I would recommend putting conditions on Sasuke's graduation."

"Such as?" The interrogator raised a scarred eyebrow.

"I would put him on probation. Require him to attend some counseling and a mind healer as well as requiring obedience and courtesy towards his sensei."

"Very well." Ibiki reluctantly agreed. "The rest of his will be critical I think. Akimichi may be a good fit. You say he is loyal and friendly. Those may be qualities that will endear him to Sasuke Uchiha and allow for there to be a team bond."

"Ah! And Yuhi Kurenai would be an excellent sensei. She is very stable and her focus on genjutsu would be very suitable for an Uchiha. Also, she might be able to connect with Sasuke. I know she has studied quite a bit of child psychology in preparation for her first genin team." Inoichi looked very happy with his idea. The other two could see no fault and agreed.

"The third place could go to the young boy who was granted asylum with Momichi Zabuza." Ibiki suggested.

"That would be good. Haku is capable, and he is hardworking. None of the others at the academy would be well suited."

Shikaku sighed. Many long hours spent, and they had finally finished with their assessments and assignments. He was on his way to the Hokage with his report. He knew that- officially- what he and the other Jonin had been doing was only a suggestion and the Hokage would make his own decisions. But he also knew Sarutobi would not have asked them to do all of this work if he didn't trust their judgment. He smiled at the secretary outside the Hokage's door.

"He is expecting you." She said before he could ask. Shikaku just nodded and opened the door. Sarutobi was sitting at his desk with his pipe in hand, reading through a scroll. He looked up as the Jonin commander came in.

"Shikaku, you are later than I expected. I trust that you got everything in order?"

"Sure. Here is what we came up with." He handed over the five page report. The old man hummed as he skimmed through the graduating list and failing list.

"Eight failures this time. More than usual. And these three recommended to be dropped, you are sure on them?"

"Unfortunately so. Those three wouldn't make it in the field. Better to have hurt feelings now and live than die because of it." The old man nodded heavily.

"Hmm, these teams are quite good, yes well done on that." He muttered before pausing on Team Seven. "This one, are you sure on this? I had no idea that Jonin would ever consider taking a team." Shikaku grinned.

"It was hilarious to see his face, but yes. It might be unprecedented, but we thought it was a good fit." Sarutobi smiled.

"Very well then. I will sign these and send them on to Iruka. Thank you." The commander bowed slightly and took his leave.


	9. Chapter 8

Author's note: I owe everyone a huge sorry! I totally forgot to post a chapter yesterday! Gah, bad me, bad bad. School has started, and my schedule it all messed up now. Here is an extra long chapter to make up for being late.

Naruto slept poorly that night. He had talked more with Iruka and he had explained more of his plight with his beloved teacher. It had been hard to admit some of his fears and the things that had happened to him. Iruka had been very calming though, and the boy had made it through their dinner without getting to panicky or worse, crying. But the long conversation had left him drained and on edge. He had known he was likely to have nightmares, after the disaster that was the genin exam and bringing up all of the other things with Iruka. He had tossed and turned on his small, lumpy mattress for hours before he was even close to dozing off. When he woke after dawn, he felt almost as tired as he had before he'd slept.

"Ug, this is horrible…" He sighed as he noticed the clock read 7:30. He had half an hour to be at the Academy. He got up and showered and dressed quickly. He rummaged through his fridge and pulled out a dish of leftover yakisoba he'd managed to make earlier that week. He gobbled it up and dumped the container in the sink for now. It was 7:50 now and he'd have no time to spare. _Perfect, I won't have time to get all worked up._ Iruka had given him several more ideas to keep him calm and functional when under stress. Naruto would be trying them soon, he suspected.

The boy locked his door and leapt to the roof tops. He headed directly to the Academy and slipped in through a window. He took up the same spot from yesterday and waited. Iruka was the first person to come in. He smiled and waved to his teacher and then tipped his chair slightly as he waited. Within minutes several others had arrived. He saw Hinata and Choji walk in together, then separate to find seats. When Sasuke entered, the room felt as if it chilled from the force of his glare. Naruto closed his eyes, pretending to be dozing. Shikamaru was really sleeping a few desks down. Iruka checked to make sure everyone had arrived. He then called the class to order.

"Listen up! I'll be announcing the teams by number. Listen for your names." Stifled murmurs were hastily covered up. Everyone was eager to find out who was with who. Even Naruto was anxiously listening. He would do his best, for Jiji, and to keep Ibiki happy. But whoever ended up teamed with him would make a big difference. His one consolation was that he didn't see Sakura here today. She must not have passed, and therefore couldn't end up on his team.

"Team 1, Hinata Hyuuga, Ino Yamanaka, Kiba Inuzuka. Your sensei will be Hatake Kakashi." Teams 2, 3,4 and 5 were all listed off with no fuss. "Team 6, Sasuke Uchiha, Choji Akimichi, Haku. You sensei is Yuhi Kurenai." This struck up a rash of whispers. No one knew who 'Haku' was. And wasn't Kurenai a girl's name? Sure the rookie of the year wouldn't be placed under a _female_ teacher! Naruto was just glad he wasn't on that team. But who did that leave to be on his team? There weren't too many people left. "Team 7," The room settled as Iruka went on. "Will be Shikamaru Nara, Shino Aburame, and Naruto Uzumaki. Your sensei will be Morino Ibiki."

Naruto choked on his breath. _Ibiki!? What!? Why would the head of T &I take a genin team? And why on earth am I on it! I can't face him every single day from now to who know how long! _Iruka had finished while Naruto was panicking and had moved on.

"You all did well to have gotten this far. You are now moving on to another stage of your lives. Being a genin isn't something to be taken lightly. You are all ninja now, and must behave as such." His stern look melted away to be replaced with a smile. "Good luck. Your sensei's will be arriving shortly. They will call for the team number, so make sure you remember yours." He gathered up a few papers from his desk, and left the room. A buzz of conversation slowly started out. Naruto focused on the room, trying to ignore his raging thoughts by following Iruka's advice from the night before. Hinata was shyly sidling up to Ino who smiled at her. Kiba was grumpily stomping down while complaining about being put on a team with girls. Choji had yet to move, but was watching Sasuke glare at everything that moved. A quiet word next to him startled Naruto.

"You are Naruto, yes?" A muted voice asked. He looked up see a boy wearing a high collared tan jacket and dark round sunglasses standing beside him.

"Er, yeah." He replied slowly before realization struck him. "Oh! You m-must be Shino Aburame." _I must be more tired than I thought if it took me that long to recognize him…_ The other boy inclined his head slightly. Shino took a seat then and watched Naruto.

"You are unusual. Why? Because you are difficult to read and evaluate. Why? Because you do not display the same standard of capability. Why? I do not know, and this is why you are unusual." Naruto blinked.

"U-umm… Ok?" He had no idea what to make of _that._ Did Shino not like him, or was he just saying he didn't know him very well yet? Shino wasn't looking at him anymore. Instead he was watching the door as it opened and a Jonin walked in. Team three left then. Naruto had so far managed to keep his anxiety in check by carefully noticing details about everything else. Who was talking to who, where were people sitting. What were they wearing. He found Shikamaru during this, still appearing to be asleep. He idly wondered if the other boy had even heard their team assignment. He was proved wrong on his former observation when Shikamaru sat up and shoved his hands in his pockets. Lazy as always, he shuffled over to the other two. He plopped down next to Naruto's other side. The blond was by now, slightly nervous being flanked on both sides by people he really didn't know. The Nara yawned.

"So, Naruto, where did you learn to use senbon?" The question came out of nowhere. Shino turned to look at Naruto after Shikamaru asked.

"Well…" Naruto fidgeted. He wanted to be able to get along with his team, and that would mean being truthful with them. But he was also reluctant to share what he thought of as his secrets. "I-I have a few scrolls… at home. One of them had a section on throwing needles… So I learned." Shikamaru frowned.

"Just like that? Geez… That's crazy." He yawned again. "I'm so not keeping up if you decide to train all the time. Too troublesome." He lay his head down on the desk. Naruto turned back to observing the room.

Shikamaru, however, was observing his teammate. He'd never really payed much attention to Naruto. He'd seemed very obvious to the genius Nara. Naruto had been shy when they first started the academy, but very quickly turned into a loud goof. Shikamaru had assumed the other boy was just seeking attention because of his lack of parents, or to make up for his class failure. It seemed, by yesterday's display, that this was not the case. Shikamaru was not used to being surprised by his peers. Adults could, on occasion, catch him off guard. It struck him as odd for Naruto to display such a drastic jump in ability when there had been no hint of it before. But that wasn't right. Now that he thought back, there had been a few things that hadn't fit.

The pranks, his most obvious actions actually. It hadn't occurred to him until now, but how on earth did a failure of a pre-genin manage to evade chunin, jonin and _ANBU_ for hours? And some of the pranks were very delicate and precise, requiring a rather strong and diverse skillset. And then there were the few times in class that he had noticed Naruto shaking, usually when he was placed in front of the class. He'd thought it was from laughter, due to the reactions from his pranks or other antics. Now that seemed to be woefully inaccurate. Naruto had not seemed to enjoy being payed attention to yesterday, or now. He had watched Shino approach the other boy, and Naruto had flinched and shrunk back very slightly from the quiet boy. It had been a reaction, and seemingly a deeply ingrained one. Shikamaru briefly wished he could talk to Ino, not something he often thought to be sure. She would have more knowledge on the psychology and behavior due to her family jutsus. But they were on different teams now. He wouldn't be able to talk to her anyway. It wouldn't be right to share someone else's secrets without a much better reason than his own curiosity. If he had to guess, which he didn't want to, he'd have to say Naruto was accustomed to physical attacks.

He sighed and closed his eyes. This was just too troublesome. Naruto was currently an unknown factor, and he suspected it would take some time to really understand him. Shikamaru would just let things go for now.

Naruto was the first to notice Ibiki walk in. There were only three teams left including theirs. Shino noticed shortly after. They both stood and Naruto carefully shook Shikamaru awake. The three genin marched down to greet the imposing man. Naruto hung back and let Shino greet him.

"You are Morino Ibiki." The Aburame stated flatly. Ibiki just turned and motioned them to follow him. Naruto was internally panicking. _Is he mad? What is he gonna do with us? Shino sure had guts, Shika didn't even say anything. Surely the Hokage wouldn't let him… I mean… Gah!_ He nearly tripped over a rock in the path. They had made it out to a training ground while he was thinking. Shino was still standing with his hands in his pocket. Shikamaru was slouching and yawning where he stood. Ibiki though, he was watching the three of them closely. The jonin crossed his arms behind his back.

"I am Morino Ibiki, head of Torture and Interrogation. The three of you are now my genin, and thus are my responsibility. There will be some rules for you to follow under my tutelage. If you cannot abide by these rules, you will not remain my students." Naruto gulped at the dire tone. "First, you will conduct yourselves in a way befitting of an honorable Konoha shinobi at all times when on a mission, regardless of the nature of that mission. You will protect and look out for each other inside and outside of missions to form and maintain a team rapport. You will not disclose any details of what goes on in T&I to anyone." He gave them all a narrow stare before turning around abruptly and taking a few steps away. He sat on a felled tree with a wide trunk. He gestured to the open space in front of him where several stumps and exposed boulders were.

"Have a seat." Naruto shuffled reluctantly closer and perched on a boulder. Shikamaru was on the ground with his back against a stump while Shino was sitting on a stump between him and Naruto. "I'd like to go over each of your skills and weaknesses, but first we will be giving statements about ourselves." The jonin coughed, feeling very out of place talking to children like this. "I will go first." Giving them some information on himself would put them at ease. He could see the tension in Naruto especially. Shino was still and watchful, but not overtly ill at ease. Shikamaru on the other hand, seemed totally at ease, only the sharp glint in his eyes betrayed him.

"You know my name, I am 27 years old. I became a chunin at age 15. I enjoy practicing genjutsu and reading books. I dislike traitors and dango. My goal in life if to make Konoha as safe as possible." He nodded to Shikamaru to go next.

"Man, this is such a pain." The lazy Nara sat up a bit more. "Shikamaru Nara, I'm 12, I like to sleep, and watch the clouds. I don't like troublesome things, or hard work. My goal is to live unremarkably, have a simple family, then die unremarkably." Ibiki had to bite back a laugh. How very much like his father. Shino spoke up in his quiet, precise tone without prompting.

"Shino Aburame, 12, My likes; insects, trees, and logic. Dislikes; people who kill bugs, illogical behaviour. Goals, to become a strong ninja, serve the village and the clan." Ibiki could see how people were put off by this boy. He seemed odd, and very robotic. The jonin could see potential though. Lastly he looked to Naruto, who was pale, sweating and curling in on himself. That was rather worrying.

"And you?" He voiced none of his concerns. If the blond boy couldn't function around him, this wouldn't work. He regretted his extreme scare at the exam now. If Naruto was afraid of him, he wouldn't be able to teach him. Naruto was clenching his hands, trying to center his attention on the present, and not his fears. But it was so hard, what with everyone looking at him.

"I-i'm Naruto Uzumaki. Um…" He swallowed, and closed his eyes. Shikamaru was nice, he had to remind himself, and Shino had never bothered him. "I... I'm 12, I like ramen, and and… getting better at my ninja arts. I… Um I don't like attention, or assumptions." He forced his eyes open, trying to keep ignoring the scarred jonin watching him. "I would like… to become an excellent ninja someday." Ibiki nodded once.

"Good. You all did well." _Reinforce the communication, Praise and affirm positive behavior._ "Now we are going to go over some of your strengths and weaknesses. Naruto, you first." He wanted to see what the boy would say. Ibiki had a strong suspicion that his abilities were not fully tested in the Academy. Ibiki was pleased to note that after Naruto had mentioned his dislikes, Shikamaru and Shino had turned somewhat away from him. They were still paying attention, but they weren't so obvious. Naruto had seen this as well, and it made a tight knot of anxiety loosen.

"I have mastered all the Academy basics, except taijutsu. I learned a mixed style. I can use the shadow clone jutsu, wind style: wind wall, water style: water gun. A few others…" He rubbed sweaty palms against his leg. "Uh, I can sort of function as a sensor. I can use a tanto or wakizashi. Senbon too. Uh… That might be it?" He probably forgot something, but right now he couldn't think of anything, much less list off things he knew. Ibiki had to wonder how he learned those jutsu. He let it be for now though.

"I am capable of all three of the academy basic jutsu, as well as the academy taijutsu style." Shino was still and his voice was toneless. "I am proficient also, in my clan Kikai jutsu." Naruto was very glad to have the attention off of himself. He also was curious to learn more about his teammates. He knew only a handful of information on the two boys, and even less on his sensei. Ibiki seemed pleased, but also indifferent to Shino's information. He turned to look down at Shikamaru.

"Well?" the large jonin rumbled when the brunt bit stayed silent.

"Maaa…. Troublesome ….I am, of course, able to perform the three academy jutsu, and taijutsu. I can use shrunken and kunai. My clan uses shadow techniques to trap our enemies." Naruto frowned very slightly. He spoke up before he really thought.

"But what can _you_ do?" Ibiki hid a smirk. The blond brat had caught that huh? Shikamaru's dark eyes fixed on Naruto for a long moment.

"I am capable of the Shadow Possession jutsu and Shadow (strangle?) hold jutsu. My father is currently teaching me two more difficult jutsu as well." he sat back then, and watched Ibiki.

"Good, all of you have a fairly good range of skills. We will be working on assessments and team skills for the next two weeks." The jonin was patiently waiting for someone to ask for information on him. He had expected it before he got to his own plan for their team. He was surprised when Shino asked him about himself.

"And what about you, Ibiki-san? You have not told us about yourself." Ibiki took the chance offered to him and stood loomed over them.

"As the head of T&I, I have a vast pool of knowledge and skill. I know the best ways to break the mind, body, and soul." He was somewhat disappointed to only see Naruto gulp. "I have years of experience and training. In my… care you will be able to learn more than most genin would dare dream." The jonin didn't mention that some of that knowledge wouldn't be desired, and would likely give them nightmares. Naruto in particular would not likely take that well. "I am the best interrogator in the village. I have completed study in anatomy and chakra networks along with many other subjects." He sat back down then. Shino was unchanged but Shikamaru looked intrigued. Naruto was avoiding looking at him. Ibiki was really starting to wonder why he thought this was a good idea. He wasn't even remotely suited to dealing with children. He really had no idea how to treat them, especially the skittish boy he had already scared. "I would like you all to meet in training area eighteen tomorrow at five AM, bring your standard equipment. We will begin drills and training." the Jonin in waited for acknowledgement before standing and shunshin-ing away. The three genin sat still for a few seconds before Naruto shifted in his seat. Shino turned to face him. Shikamaru was the first to speak up.

"Man, this is such a pain. Morino Ibiki… so not the jonin I would have picked. I won't be able to slack off now." Naruto picked at the hem of his pants, trying to calm his nerves. Ibiki was gone, and the other two were genin he knew. Neither had done anything to him. He didn't need to be afraid.

"I… um I guess maybe we should get to know each other?" The blond managed to say. Shino inclined his head slightly.

"Logicly, we are a unit now, and teamwork is to be expected. We should train together and also spent large amounts of time in each others company. Why? Because this will allow us to maneuver more fluidly together." This was all stated very concisely, without much inflection. Shikamaru sighed and stood up.

"Fine…. I guess. Lets all go eat. I'm starved." Naruto bit his lip, thinking of all the times he had been refused access to shops and restaurants. He didn't want to say anything to his new team, but it might be worse if they had to find out the hard way.

"Um, I-" They turned towards him, and the boy quelled under their looks. Squaring what little resolve he had left, Naruto started to speak.

"I don't think… it's a good idea for me to go with you." He took a quick breath and went on, cutting off Shino's question. "People around the village don't really like me very much, and I wouldn't want you two to have any trouble because of me." Shikamaru tipped his head and examined Naruto's wary stance.

"Why would anything happen?" He slowly asked.

"Um… I don't know, just stuff goes wrong around me." The other boy mumbled. Shino raised one eyebrow.

"Logic would require some reason for unfortunate occurrences. I see no reason for you to be a catalyst for such things." Shikamaru nodded.

"Yeah, right. I know a good place, and the staff and owners are really laid back. It's fine." Both dark haired genin were curious as to why their other teammate would have said anything like this. They had observed how uncomfortable he was with speaking in front of people and having their attention. He'd even said as much earlier. So why would he say anything over some odd reason like 'people don't like me'? Nevertheless, Shikamaru was hungry, and he could see the benefit in being closer to his team. Naruto was just looking between the two with a look that was a mix of hopeful and resigned. Shino stood up and turned to the Nara.

"Lead the way."


	10. Chapter 9

_Last time: Shino stood up and turned to the Nara. "Lead the way."_

He did, making sure that Naruto also followed him.

Naruto watched Shikamaru and Shino walk in front of him down the road. Shikamaru had insisted that the restaurant he was taking them to would be fine. Naruto was sweating slightly, and his stomach rolled with nerves and fear. He'd told them, at least a little, about what to expect. It seemed though, from how they reacted, that they didn't really understand what he'd been trying to say. Both of them had insisted that it would be fine, that it must be nothing. Naruto knew better though. The other two hadn't lived through twelve years of this treatment after all. He could already feel the glares and hear the whispers following him. THe boy focused on the ground beneath his feet and keeping the heels of his teammates just in his line of vision. Shino and Shikamaru were both quiet, thinking about what their blond companion had said. Shino was unsure as to the objectivity of the suggested treatment. The bug user would have to see for himself if Naruto had objectively noted the actions of people in the village.

Shikamaru however, was more willing to believe Naruto right off. He had watched the boy during their classes, as he watched all those who shared the room. He recalled, only vaguely, the first day of the Academy. Naruto had come in the room later than everyone else, shy and quiet. Shikamaru had been sitting with Choji in the back corner. Naruto had sat the middle, off to one side. Shikamaru had noted the shabby, worn cloths, and the way he had kept his shoulders curled in towards his body.

Shikamaru hadn't thought much about it the time, putting it off as first day nerves. But now, as Shikamaru examined his own memories, he recalled the way Naruto had shied away from everyone, even the other kids at first. Then a vivid scene of a teacher physically throwing the boy out of the classroom after he'd asked a question surfaced. The more the brunette boy thought about it, as they walked slowly through the town, the more things he could recall. He even remembered one substitute hitting the boy last year after he had answered a question no one else could. Shikamaru could have, but he chose not to. He knew that the question was to advanced for the class. Yet somehow, Naruto had know the correct answer.

He frowned, sticking his hands deep into his pockets. Why had he forgotten all these things? They seemed to glaring now, but at the time, it just seemed like Naruto was a troublemaker, goofing off and getting in trouble for it. He would have to watch, now, observe and then maybe ask his father about it. Shikamaru looked around their small group then, noting that while Shino was walking just barely behind and to one side of him, Naruto had hung back, almost not even walking with them.

Next, the Nara looked around them lazily. He saw far more eyes turned towards them than he had expected. Most of those who were watching them had dark, angry looks. A few people were looking at Shino and him with curiosity or mild recognition, but Naruto- he was receiving the more awful glares, accompanied by whisperes. Shikamaru couldn't hear everything that was said, but it was enough.

"That... thing is back." "Someone should do something, get rid of it." "...thought that demon had been dealt with." "I wish it would die." Yes, he would definitely be having a long conversation with several people. His father would be the first, tonight if possible. Tomorrow, he would try to get Ibiki alone, and then Shino after their training was done. For now, he would be trying to see what else he could learn about the situation.

They had reached the little BB-Q place that Shikamaru met Choji and Ino at. It was run by the Akimichi family, and CHoji's mother was often the cook. He slid open the shoji door and lead his two teammates in. He lead them back to his favorite table and pushed Naruto into the middle of the buthe. Shino took the other side of the corner booth and Shikamaru sat on the outside. Naruto was stuck between them. He was fidgeting, waiting for something bad to happen. When he saw a waiter walking over, he looked down and tapped out a quick rhythm on his leg. Shino subtly shifted closer to the blond, having also seen and heard the villagers reactions.

"Why if it isn't the Nara kid." Boomed the waiter, an uncle of Choji. "I didn't expect to see you today." Shikamaru just shrugged.

"Well, gotta eat sometime." The round man laughed.

"Too true. Who is it you've brought?" Naruto flinched and pulled his body closer.

"This is my genin team. Shino Aburame and Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto was now sure that something would happen. People all knew his name, even if they didn't recognize him. Surely, now the mistake of letting him in woud be corrected. The large man just smiled though.

"Ah, genin team. Your dad still hangs around with his genin team. Better get real close, these teams can last your whole life if you do." Shikamaru just nodded and then rattled off a list of foods. Shino listed only a few things, and when it came around to Naruto, the boy was looking horribly unsure.

"Uhhh... well..." He started, picking at his sleeve. Shikamaru decided to save him.

"Naruto would probably like the beef strips and takoyaki, with pork cuts, teriyaki beef and miso soup." He shot a glance at the other to see him nod.

"That would be good, thanks." After the waiter left, Naruto peeked over at Shikamaru.

"Thank you... I uh..." Shikamaru leaned back and closed his eyes.

"It's no big deal. I come here often enough to know what's good." Naruto just sat, looking between his lap, his team and the door. Shino showed an unexpected amount of consideration and steered the conversation away from Naruto for the moment.

"We came to discuss our selves. As I am often quite reticent, I will begin. You may ask questions for me to answer if I can." Shikamaru went with it and asked about his colony of kikai.

"My kikai are fairly strong for my clan, and I have been working on finding a way to use them to store chakra as well as consume it. I wish to be able to perform more jutsu in the future and would require more chakra to do so."

"Ok, so do you train frequently?"

"Daily, I perform a set of varied drills. They range from taijutsu, a few ninjutsu and target practice." Shikamaru huffed and made a face at that.

"Ok, so…" Naruto was very quiet for a while, mostly listening. But eventually he started to chip in here and there. He never asked his own questions, but he did add a few comments.

Shikamaru took the next turn of 20Q.

"What are your ambitions?" Was Naruto's hesitant question.

"I don't know, maybe to just have a good, honorable career, and then retire and have a family?" He munched on his grilled shrimp. "I don't like putting too much effort into things, but if I have to, I will." Shino next inquired.

"Do you have hobbies?" It seemed an odd question coming from the more rigid boy. Shikamaru thought for a moment.

"I like playing Go and Shogi, especially with my dad. Cloud watching and taking naps are also on my usual list of things to do." Naruto cracked just a hint of a smile at his lazy answer. The blond was slowly letting himself calm. Nothing had happened, and no one was even watching their table. He munched on his meat slowly, listening closely to his team. Shikamaru was explaining some of his training to Shino who was still very still and quiet. Naruto could understand being quiet.

He let himself get lost in thought, thinking about the day. It was only about three in the afternoon, but he felt exhausted. He wasn't sure how he would be able to handle this every day. Ibiki truly scared him, and he already knew the Jonin had it out for him. He wondered how long it would be until Ibiki started using him to demonstrate torture jutsu or something like that.

He didn't understand why the Hokage and Iruka would have done this to him. Iruka even knew that Ibiki upset him. The scarred jonin was not the kind of man Naruto would have picked to handle any children, and certainly not himself. Would the man be horribly cruel to him? Would Naruto have to spend more time trying to get those healing jutsu to work on his own? Who would he be able to turn to if the man tried to ki-

"Naruto? Are you listening?" Shikamaru laid a hand on his arm, his face too close to Naruto's. Naruto couldn't hold back the flinch and the stiffening of his limbs at the unexpected touch. He saw Shikamaru's dark eyes sharpen.

"Oh, sorry." He hurriedly blurted out. _Distract him. I can't really explain that reaction._ "I guess the exam yesterday tired me out more than I thought." He forced a small smile and closed his eyes to hide the insincerity. Shikamaru frowned again, but sat back.

"Yeah, I guess. It's your turn." He gestured to the Aburame boy. "Shino asked if you have any particular strengths." Naruto blinked, and then wracked his brain.

"Uh… well, I am good with kunai and stuff. I ether get jutsu right the first time, or they don't work at all." He ruffled his hair. "I don't get it, but it always ends up that way." Shino seemed interested.

"In my clan, we have done many experiments dealing with chakra levels and their effect on jutsu. What had been determined is that often one's chakra levels denote what types could be used. Logic also showed that some jutsu could be used in ways to allow for larger amounts of chakra than they were intended to use." Naruto perked up at this.

"So you think that there might be a way to help?" The kikai user nodded once.

"It is a possibility." Shikamaru leaned back.

"I have access to some scrolls on chakra control and meditation to balance chakra. I can lend them to you, if you'd like." Naruto was astounded that both of his teammates were so easily offering advice and help for him. He was used to nearly everyone ignoring his problems, or enjoying his struggles. Iruka tried, but the Chunin was too involved in his work to devote the time it would take to make a difference. The Hokage was even more so this way. Being the leader of a military village left no opportunity to look after a single orphan boy. The blond boy blinked back wet eyes and focused on his food. He wasn't sure why these two practical strangers were being so nice to him, he only hoped it lasted. He would need something to look forward to with his team. Ibiki would not be that thing.

Authors note at the end! I just wanted to take a moment to address some things people have commented. First, the Sasuke chapter. I know a couple of people haven't liked it, but I do feel like it needs to be there. Later in the story, things with Sasuke's team will come up, and I felt it was better to show the changes and what happens as it happens rather than in a bunch of flashbacks later. I will be (hopefully) adding another couple of sections to Sasuke's part soon. That will probably help it all fit in better. Someone commented that they hoped to see Kakashi more. Sorry! But Kakashi isn't going to feature too much. He will be in the story. But the main focus of the story is Naruto and his team. They will encounter most of the other teams from time to time, but Sasuke's team and Naruto's are going to be around the most.

This is turning out kinda long... Sorry for that. Just a couple more things left. Where is Sakura? Well, for this fanfic, I couldn't fit her in in a way that I liked. I'm not too fond of Sakura at times, and I decided to leave her out. If you notice, Ibiki and the others have doubts about her being up to the task of being a ninja. They decided to fail her and remove her from the ninja program rather than risk her and her team's lives. So, Sakura might pop up at some point, but she didn't make the cut for ninja. Hinata's team placement is the last thing. A reviewer asked why she (quiet shy Hinata) was on a team with loud and louder Ino and Kiba. It is so the three of them can balance out each other. Yes, Hinata is reserved, and especially Kiba is loud. The idea is this: Kiba is energetic and wild, Ino is self confident and capable(but not really that loud). Hinata is horribly under confident in her self. Ino and Hinata can get along, both being girls, in ways that Kiba wont. Kiba can help by being loyal and fiercely protective of all of his 'pack'. Hinata might help tone down Kiba, and teach him some manners, while Kiba will help Hinata loosen up. The Hyuuga clan is the most formal and strict clan in Konoha, while the Inuzuka are the least. The Yamanaka family is more normal. The three of them together will balance out all these things eventually.

And now that that horribly long note is done, I will see you all next week! (Unless you get tired of the story. *cries in a corner*)


	11. Chapter 10

Author's note: Gah! Another late-ish update. Sorry guys, life is getting crazy. My family is trying to sell our house right now, and I just started college prep studies. I might have to cut back and update every other week if this keeps up. I like to keep a cushion between the current posted chapter, and what I'm writing at the time. It makes editing and revising easier if I don't have to go back and change posted chapter. I will do my best to keep up, but if my schedule stays like it is, I wont be able to. Sorry! Thanks for all of your reviews and the follows and favorites!

The three genin sat in the restaurant for several hours, letting the conversation ebb and flow. By the time Shikamaru announced that he had to be getting back home, both Naruto and Shino were talked out. The Nara had been observing Naruto, and had seen the boy let go and engage in their talk, and then gradually recede back into his shell. Shino had just gotten more quiet.

It was a bit awkward to part ways, both clan children feeling a sudden sympathy for the orphaned boy. They both had people waiting for them, parents and other family to greet them and share a smile or nod with.

Shino wondered how Naruto would react to visiting his home. Shibi and his mother had always been very supportive of him, knowing that Aburame often were ostracized because of their kikaichu. Being labeled as creepy and weird was expected at this point. Shino had always had them to come back to, to be comforted and encouraged. It seemed that Naruto didn't have that. Shino had seen the same emotions in the eyes of the villagers that he had occasionally seen directed at him in much weaker glares.

Why would Naruto, who as far as he knew, was nothing but another Kyuubi orphan, be so despised? The boy wasn't from a clan, he had no family, and he had never done anything to warrant such treatment. Sure, he was sometimes loud, pranked people and didn't do so well in school. None of those things could possibly be the cause of such malice. Kiba Inuzuka was wont to act very similarly, and the dog boy was only lightly chastised. Shino also wasn't so sure that his impressions of Naruto were accurate. This day had showed many things that contradicted the previous ideas he'd had. During their talk, Naruto had said several things that had caught Shino's attention. He'd mentioned scrolls and study more than once. Shino knew that very few books or scrolls could be accessed before one was at least a genin. The Aburame recalled how poorly the other had done in all of the school tests, up until the exam. Logically, it shouldn't have been possible for Naruto to find books to study before now, or for him to have such a sudden spike in ability.

Why did this happen? The only explanation would be because the blond had been deceiving everyone. How long? Why? To what extent? Shino rarely found others around him to be interesting, choosing to focus on his colony and training normally, but he was caught up in the web that seemed to wrap around his team. He would be looking for answers, and he would would not let it rest until he knew. Why? Because, logically, he should pursue this interest he had in the effort to make at least one or two true friends.

Naruto was only too happy to return home, to his quiet, dark apartment. He had unexpectedly said much more than he thought he would be able to force out. He would have thank Iruka for his advice. He'd made it through an entire day of interacting, and speaking up more than once without too much trouble. His limit had been passed by after a while though. If Shikamaru hadn't decided to call it a day, Naruto would have. Naruto had decided that he liked his team, at least those two anyway.

He had noticed that he had been placed in the center, the place most protected, and both of them had taken note of his discomfort and silently shifted things to help. Shikamaru had helped him order, Shino had moved the conversation off of Naruto and onto himself. He knew that both of the had noticed some of Naruto's more… revealing reactions. The blond wasn't really sure why he didn't want the to find out the full extent of his misery.

He'd told them some of it already. But the thought of ether boy seeing his tiny, rundown apartment, or knowing the whole story behind his hidden personality made him even more reticent. It was dumb, but he would much rather have Ibiki know, and mock him for it. The blond boy forced himself to go to sleep rather than dwelling on the day though.

As he drifted off to sleep, Naruto couldn't help wondering if he would be able to understand what a family was like. Both clan children would go back to a home, family. He had never really wondered too much about it, but the sudden closeness with the two other genin made him curious and wistful. Shivering, he rolled himself into his blankets and closed his eyes.

"I'm back!" Shikamaru called as he slid the front door closed. Yoshino, his mother, poked her head out of the kitchen.

"You're very late, I expected you back several hours ago." The spoon in her hand was waved in his direction. "I hope you weren't just taking a nap…" Shikamaru quickly shook his head.

"No, I was out with my team." She frowned at him.

"Hmph, your father is in his office. You should see him before you go to bed. You've eaten?" He nodded, glad to have avoided his mother's wrath. _Troublesome woman… Always bugging me…_ He slipped off to see his dad, both to escape Yoshino and to ask about his team. Shikaku was lounging in front of his Go board when Shikamaru found him. He looked up from the board.

"Hey, how'd it go?" Shikamaru flopped down on the cushion next to his father and huffed.

"Ibiki? You really thought that Morino Ibiki would be a good sensei?" He leveled an unimpressed look at his father. The clan head only shrugged.

"It makes sense. And every now and then, something unexpected is good." Shikamaru had to admit that was a valid point. Before he found a suitable replay, Shikaku was talking again.

"So how did you like your team? I know it's not Ino and Choji, but…" He trailed off. Shikamaru thought for a moment.

"They are good. Shino is a solid genin and he is capable of much more given some time." Shikaku nodded, having thought the same about the Aburame boy. "Naruto though," The adult felt a thread of worry. He'd hoped that his son would accept the blond boy, so very much like Shikaku remembered them… "He's a mystery. I don't know what to make of him yet." The worry eased slightly.

"How so?" The Nara clan head wanted to see what his progeny would come up with. Shikamaru was highly intelligent, and he'd yet to stop surprising his father.

"Things don't match up around him. At school, he always seemed to be just another loud, inattentive kid who didn't care to behave. He reminded me of Kiba. But then when I thought about it, I could recall all kinds of things that contradicted that. He was quiet, and sometimes no one even saw him around. He knew things that the rest of the class didn't, and then you saw what happened at the exam." The young Nara shrugged. "It doesn't make sense. There is no way that Naruto advanced that rapidly, but he never once showed that kind of experience and skill during class." Shikaku nodded slowly. He had to chose his words carefully from here on out.

"I too, wondered how much he really knows and does. It says something that it took Inoichi and Ibiki and I together to notice something was up during the first test. Naruto could be curbing his results, like someone _else_ we know, to avoid attention. He does seem a bit nervous at times." The boy scowled at the hint to his own academy performance.

"Yeah… And he also seems to be targeted by the village for some reason. Everyone glared at him today." Shikamaru noted the slight flinch and frown from his father at this. Testing, he probed a bit more. "He also seems to be exhibiting some signs of abuse." Shikaku jerked up, his eyes lit with an unnamed emotion.

" _What?_ " Shikamaru was caught off guard by the venom in that single word. He slouched down more and examined the Go board.

"He did it when he first started the Academy, flinched and shied away from any kind of touch. He did it again tonight, flinched when I got close to him." Shikaku closed his eyes, letting out a slow breath. He couldn't believe this, he'd thought the boy was just avoiding being targeted for being 'dangerous', not avoiding physical harm so constantly. He would have to talk to Ibiki, and the Hokage. Any kind of treatment that endangered a child was _not_ acceptable. He stood, ignoring the calculating look his son was giving him.

"Be… kind to Naruto, Shika. Not many people are. He has much more connection to this village than most would understand." He left Shikamaru with a pensive thought that he really wouldn't be able to laze around with his team. Ibiki would be working them hard, no doubt, and something was going on around Naruto. It was something that Shikamaru had the nagging feeling that he had to find out about. His gut told him it would cement the three genin together with unbreakable bonds.

When Shikaku stormed in to the Hokage tower, face like thunder, Sarutobi's secretary expected declarations of war any time. The Nara clan and Shikaku in particular were widely known for their lazy attitudes and laid back mindsets. For the Jonin Commander and clan head to be this worked up, surely something catastrophic had occurred. Sarutobi knew him enough to tell that this wasn't a village matter.

"Shikaku, I was just sitting down to have some tea. Please join me." He waved the other man into his office calmly and activated the privacy seals. Shikaku sat and glared slightly at the cup of tea he was offered.

"Hokage-sama, something has come to my attention." The older man raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

"Naruto Uzumaki is on a team with my son." Sarutobi nodded.

"Yes, with the Aburame heir, under Ibiki." The implied question hung in the air.

"Shikamaru came to me with some questions and concerns regarding the boy." The Hokage hummed, understanding the thunderous look the jonin wore. Shikaku had a vested interest in Naruto.

"What was the matter?" Shikaku visibly drew his emotion in check.

"Shikamaru noted signs of… some suspicious lack of comfort Uzumaki has with physical contact." The Hokage read between the lines and frowned.

"I see." He slowly mumbled. "That is indeed something to be worried about. You are sure that your son correctly noted Naruto's reaction?" Shikaku nodded.

"I also noticed something off during the exam." Sarutobi stood up. THe Nara mirrored his movement.

"I will look in to this situation." Grim faced, the leader of the village promised. Shikaku bowed slightly and left. He knew that Sarutobi had a soft spot for the Uzumaki boy. He'd do what he could without causing a fuss.


	12. Chapter 11

Sorry! I skipped updating last week. I was running short on material to post. I spent the weekend writing. This chapter is a bit longer than some of the others. I hope you all enjoy!

The next morning, three genin, two of which were bemoaning their lack of sleep and the early hour, made their way back to Training ground 19. Ibiki was waiting in the same place they had met the day before. He watched them all closely. Shino was stoic as always, showing no signs of weariness or irritation. The Nara boy wore a scowl and yawned repeatedly. If he was anything like his father, he would hate getting up this early. Naruto had dark circles under his eyes, and was dragging his feet. Ibiki wasn't sure if he had not slept because of worry, or if he was just tired like the other boy. The three genin stopped in front of him and waited.

"You have arrived on time. Good." He gestured for them to sit. "I would like to discuss some aspects of functioning as a shinobi team." Naruto seemed to calm at least a bit at this. He'd been expecting to be used as the dummy for T&I demonstrations today. He hadn't slept more than a few hours off and on. Ibiki brought out a small laminated map of the Training ground.

"As a team, working as a unit, taking into account each other's skills and deficiencies is critical. In the field, being able to function together can make all the difference. As you know, this year's genin exam was quite different than any previous." Naruto nodded, frowning at the map. Shikamaru and Shino didn't react. "This is why." He tapped the map with a senbon. The jonin set four coloured game pieces on the map. "Each member of a team of mission unit must be able to integrate themselves in to the whole. In past years, many genin were injured or died as a result of a lacking in the this discipline. C-Rank missions are most often what kills genin. The first C-rank mission in the one that truly tests them." The genin all perked up, sitting straighter and focusing on the jonin. Even Shikamaru had lost his pretence of sloth. Good, they might just get what he wanted them to understand.

"If you cannot function as a team, bond together and trust one another, you _will_ die. They tell you in the academy that finishing your mission is the first priority, but out in the field, your team's lives are what come first. This devotion to each other, the desire to protect, if what elevates Konoha above other hidden villages."

"The Will of Fire." Shino solemnly intoned. Ibiki nodded once.

"Power born out of the desire to protect those close to you. In other words, strength devoted to the lives of innocents. In Konoha, the civilians and children are viewed as the single most important thing to keep safe." Naruto interjected, quiet and all the more potent for the pain clearly hear in his voice.

"We should protect them, even when they hate us for it." Ibiki wondered just what the kid meant, how much was from being mistreated and how much he knew. He personally felt no inclination to keep such secrets, he knew that children could be more tight-lipped about things than some adults could. But it was not his decision to make. Perhaps, a few well placed recon assignments and some old mission reports and history drills would … help them along. For now, he just glanced at Naruto.

"Yes. As ninja, we will be misunderstood at times. Our life is so unlike that of the villagers."

"And it is best that way. Why? Because exposing the entire village to the harshness of shinobi would lead to a fear like that of the Village hidden in the Mist. Why? Because logically, civilians cannot handle the extreme nature of the reality of ninja." Shino inclined his head once after his long explanation. Ibiki was a bit surprised by the extent of understanding and thought that had been put into the comment.

"Correct." He rumbled. "To foster the building of our team, we will be training together. This is a map of this training area. The three pieces are you." He gestured to the aforementioned items. "For today, I will observe as you three come up with strategies and maneuvers for pre-set situations I will outline for you. Each of you must be honest and accurate in your interpretation of your own abilities."

The jonin paused to take stock of their reactions. He wasn't at all sure about this idea, but it was the best he had come up with. He couldn't very well have the genin 'play' with Anko in the Forest of Death to test them out. _I really am not a good choice for children. I might know how to get information out of them, but teaching and mentoring? Nope._ Shikamaru was looking at the map intently already. Likely forming ideas and plans in his head. Shikaku did that often. Shino was studying the map and his two teammates equally, but otherwise remained still. Naruto had, predictably, the most extreme reaction. He had paled slightly, and was biting his lip. Ibiki wondered why.

There was no doubt that his own presence made the boy uneasy, and it was possible that having to inform others of his abilities was having the same effect. Ibiki understood that giving away your defences like that could be a death sentence on a mission or in hostile company. The dark man would have to watch and make sure Naruto was willing to open up with his team. If he couldn't, or _wouldn't_ , it would cause trouble. He would give the kid a chance though. You never knew what could happen.

Two hours later, the three genin were all frustrated and temperamental. Their jonin sensei had seemed to take sadistic pleasure in poking holes in every single idea they had come up with so far. They had only gotten through three, three of his scenarios. Shikamaru had taken the first one, an escort type mission with missing-nin attacking. It had taken him the least amount of time to get a grunted "It'll do, for a start." from Ibiki. Naruto had gone second and his situation had been quite different. He had to plan an infiltration to an enemy village.

It had taken the better part of an hour for him to piece together a plan. Shino had only just finished his own, an assassination, a few minutes ago. The three had struggled with their theorized team work at first, having to rely on only what the other two said they could do.

Shikamaru, having much more experience with strategy in the form of Go and Shogi, found it particularly frustrating to be unsure of the capabilities of his team. In the games, one knew exactly how a piece functioned and where it could go, but with people, it wasn't so black and white. The Nara was currently glaring at the map, wishing he knew a fire style jutsu to rid himself of the blasted thing. Ibiki was unsure if he should laugh at his genin's irritation, or be depressed by how much work he had to do with them.

He had tried to not just be negative in his criticism of their efforts, but he knew he hadn't been successful. Naruto's had been particularly hard. The blond boy had a streak of brilliance, for sure. Many aspects of his ideas were so abruptly decided on, and so workable, Ibiki knew he had a knack for spontaneous tactics. However, the boy was to unsure of his own self and his team that he would always plan to conservatively. The jonin stood up from his seat and tucked away his map.

"Enough. We will now be sparring." All three boys were positively eager to do anything else at this point. Naruto would even take public speaking over more maneuvers and strategy right then. They trooped out to a more cleared area of the training ground. It was a wide area with grass marred by jagged rocks and a few flowers.

"You two," He pointed to Shino and Naruto. "Will be sparring first." Shino moved to a lose ready stance and waited. Naruto bit his lip and followed.

"No jutsu yet. Weapons are allowed." Shino gave a sharp nod and then began to circle around with Naruto mirroring him. Naruto was currently panicking. He had listened to Shino and Shikamaru in their earlier lesson, and he had no idea what he should do. He knew he was supposed to be showing his skill set, but the blond was too used to hiding those things. Ineitably, in the past, any sign of good behavior or aptitude in anything would get him the wrong kind of attention. He'd never been comfortable with honestly showing things since. The exam was the most he could get himself to do. And even that had been a struggle. _I don't know what to do! Shino isn't Sasuke, he doesn't hate me right now. If I do better than him, will he start to? Or will he be more upset if I don't-_ He jerked out of his musings when a fist was planted in his stomach.

"Gha-!" His breath whooshed out as he rolled awkwardly to the left. Shino could barely be seen to be frowning behind the high collar of his jacket.

"You are not paying attention. Why? Because you are worried about something." The bug user almost seemed to huff at him. Naruto scrambled to his feet and flushed.

"S-sorry. I… Sorry." He stumbled over his words, feeling a nervous tremble start up in his hands. Ibiki interrupted their spar.

"Uzumaki, switch with Nara." Naruto flinched, but complied. Shikamaru shot a quick, curious glance at the other as he jogged over. Naruto was much slower in joining Ibiki on the sidelines.

"Same rules, go." Ibiki called out. The two clan heirs took action much faster.

Shino made the first move again. He flicked out two kunai at the other boy. Shikamaru dodged fairly easily. He was a hair to slow to avoid the kick aimed at his torso. Shino's foot planted firmly into his left shoulder, knocking the Nara to the side. Shikamaru recovered quickly, flipping backwards on his hands to gain some distance. He threw several shuriken and followed up with a combo kick to the lower leg and a fist aimed at his head. Both missed, Shikamaru had not expected the little bit of extra speed the Aburame put on.

He started calculating the speed into his plans and had to scrap a few. They went back and forth for several more minutes with neither one gaining or losing much. Both took a few blows here and there, but neither were able to gain much ground. Shikamaru so far had taken more damage than the other. That was about to, hopefully, change. Shikamaru was carefully herding, and luring Shino in to place. The Aburame hadn't seemed to notice the dip in the ground, lined with a few medium sized rocks. Shikamaru was only a few feet in front of it at this point.

The boys had been still for a few seconds, catching their breath. It wasn't long enough for Shikamaru, but he hadn't much choice in the matter. Shino was coming at him again, and Shikamaru had to duck and roll back just a bit. Shino's fist, holding a kunai, whipped past his ear. Shikamaru let the other come at him again, this time moving to the left. Shikamaru was able to slip around Shino and catch him off guard, flipping the other boy into the small depression. Shino landed hard, hitting his back on the rocks and coughing harshly.

Ibiki had been dividing his attention between the pair sparring, and Naruto who was currently shooting him worried glances. He called the match.

"That's it. Nara wins this round." He was rather impressed with Shikamaru. Despite having slower reactions and less speed and power, the boy had been able to maneuver his opponent into a trap without being hurt seriously in the process. He'd seen the way that Shikamaru had shifted his plans after unexpected elements were shown. It had been like watching a miniature Shikaku in some ways. And at the same time, the boy was very different from his father. Ibiki would have to test out his intellect in a one-on-one setting soon. Shino was more of what the jonin had expected. Steady, solid in the basics, the bug user had a few tricks up his sleeve, and he had seen the boy calculating his moves and attempting to create a plan while in action. The Aburame would do well. He seemed to be balanced well between speed and strength. The only one he was still unsure of was the Uzumaki boy.

Ibiki had noticed almost immediately when Naruto had started panicking. The blond had started to curl his body inwards, hands trembling and breathing speeding up. Ibiki had no idea what had caused the panic, but he couldn't have his students reacting this way. But, now he had to focus on the present. Later he would have time to catalog everything. He noted, a thin thread of approval trailing absently, that Shino and Shikamaru had both returned and were waiting patiently beside Naruto. Ibiki once more felt a twinge of unease at the prospect of dealing with the genin closely.

"You both did well. I will have some scrolls on taijutsu forms that may fit your existing styles tomorrow. Now, go and work on some chakra control drills." He directly addressed them. He turned to Naruto. "I will be speaking with Uzumaki for a while." Shikamaru's sharp gaze darted between the two. Ibiki was impassive, Naruto was blanched and twitching. It pleased Ibiki to see the concern evident in that look. What pleased, and surprised him more was Shino shifting to face him and crossing his arms.

"You are singling out Naruto, why? Logically, there should be no more reason for him to be isolated than I." Naruto also looked at him with shock. Why on earth would Shino face the frightening Jonin for so paltry a reason? Naruto was almost glad to think of something other than the jonin standing next to him, but he wasn't sure thinking about his teammate would be better. He couldn't think of any reason for the other boys to want to help him.

He wondered what reason Shino would have to say such things, and more importantly, how long he would be in the other's good graces. Ibiki looked over the Aburame boy. His back was ramrod straight. The way he was facing the jonin suggested determination and a slight aggression. _Interesting, Naruto Uzumaki had both of them looking out for him. The Nara can see beyond the first impression, and was raised to value others. The Aburame though, are usually solitary and reclusive. It is interesting that this one seems to be taking a more direct interest in his team._

"I am not singling out Naruto." He replied, purposely using his first name. "I will not unfairly judge my team." He made sure to tower over the genin and scowl down at him just slightly. He was the jonin, and the team commander. He had to be given the appropriate level of respect and defference. Shino was silent, likely examining the man.

"Very well." He turned and stalked off towards the trees. Shikamaru gave the odd pair one last glance before following. Ibiki watched just long enough to make sure they were both doing as ordered. Naruto had watched the byplay, feeling more numb and confused after hearing Ibiki state that he wouldn't be isolating Naruto. It wasn't true, he was sure. People always did, even if it took them a while. Only the Hokage hand't. Even Iruka-sensei had started out being just like everyone else before they had gotten close. At this moment though, Ibiki was staring at him.

"You will need to be honest with me." Was the first thing he said. The jonin sat down on the grass and gestured to the space in front of him. Naruto reluctantly sat, legs crossed in lotus position.

Ibiki huffed slightly at the obvious fear. Really, he should have known something like this would happen to him. Give him a hardened enemy ninja, and he could find out every secret they possessed. Send him on a dangerous solo mission, he could handle that. But give him a scared kid, one who _he_ had scared, and the jonin hadn't a clue how to handle it. Oh there were theories, sure. But theory could only work in as much as the subject was ordinary. He might not know too much about Naruto Uzumaki, but he did know that the boy was not an ordinary child.

"I cannot help you if you won't tell me what the problem is." He continued. He frowned when Naruto stared incredulously at him.

"What? But- I mean… Why would you?" The jonin didn't know what to make of that. He knew that such a reaction couldn't just be because of him. He decided to answer the stuttered question first, and then see what happened.

"As your commanding officer, it is my job to make sure my team is all in the best condition it can be. Be that physically or emotionally, I take that part of my job very seriously." He tried to soften his voice. "I am also responsible for three kids. I meant it when I said that children are the treasure of Konoha. Right now, three of Konoha's treasures are under my supervision." Naruto just bit his lip and avoided his gaze.

"I-I um… I don't know what to expect." He finally got out. The boy couldn't decided if he should be freaking out, or if he should believe Ibiki. Eventually, he gave in and answered. Iruka had said that talking to people, getting them to understand, would often help with his own anxiety. "Most… well, everyone always gets mad at me when I… Or, that is, I guess…" He ruffled his hair, in irritation at himself. Couldn't he at least talk!? "I would always get yelled at, or even smacked around… a bit… if I did anything right, or good, I mean." There, he'd gotten it out now. He glanced up to see Ibiki emotionless.

"And?" The question comes without any pressure, and surprisingly no judgment. Naruto thinks for a moment. He's still nervous, but Iruka was right. It helps to at least start talking.

"Well, I-I guess I'm afraid that people will… hurt me when I succeed." Ibiki nodded slightly.  
"I see. I can understand that. You do know, though, that you can't continue this on my team?" Naruto shuddered.

"Y-yeah."

"Both Nara and Aburame seem to be a bit protective of you. Most Aburame don't really care for the company of others, and this one stared me down for you. Shikamaru Nara is also closely watching us right now, probably so he can figure out what to do to help." Naruto couldn't help glancing over at the pair who were sticking leaves to their foreheads with chakra.

"Um…" The boy started. Ibiki hummed in reply. "W-why do you think they care? The can't care for long." Ibiki wanted to throttle whomever had put these ideas into his head. This might be more of an issue than he had previously thought. He hadn't expected physical abuse. At the exam, the three jonin had noted his reactions, and Shikaku and Inoichi's ideas for their source were good. But this seemed to go deeper. Ibiki would have to step up his plans now, and maybe work in meetings with a few other people to help his team along. For now, all he could do was talk to the boy. He looked down at the blond before continuing.

"They have their own reasons. My own would be because I can see your value." Naruto gaped at him. The man, who he could admit had given him nightmares, was trying to comfort him? No way. "You are much more capable than you realize. You understand the heart of the Will of Fire much more than many people twice your age."

"Y-you really mean that?" Naruto hardly dared to hope. Ibiki would have little reason to lie though. If he wanted to be cruel to Naruto, he'd already had ample opportunity. The Hokage wouldn't put his ninja, especially genin in such blatant danger. The old man cared deeply for his people. He'd seen, once years ago, how much it hurt the old man to lose any of his shinobi. He might not trust Ibiki yet, but he thought he could trust the Hokage. Naruto watched Ibiki closely when he answered.

"I do." Naruto figured he could deal with this, maybe, eventually.

Author's note! I was thinking about giving Naruto some PTSD or OCD habits or triggers. However, I'm having trouble thinking of good things to include. If you guys have any ideas for me, please leave them in a review or a PM. I would love to see what you can come up with! Thanks for your patience.


	13. Chapter 12

**Update! Yay. Sorry for the late time, it is 8:30 pm where I live. I just got back from visiting grandparents like an hour ago. Sigh, car trips are fun, but they can drag when you hare driving like 590 miles one way. Bleh. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this new chapter!**

Training had continued after that, Ibiki had them all drilling taijutsu and kunai and shuriken practice. He corrected Naruto more often than the other two, but Naruto was almost shocked to note that it wasn't done out of malice. Everything Ibiki pointed out or corrected really did help. His taijutsu was not that good, he knew, despite winning his match against Sasuke. He never sparred with anyone, and never had much help at the Academy classes.

Naruto knew his style was a good one, and he knew all the kata. What he couldn't learn from a book though, were the nuances. Little things with his balance, aligning his joints and body could only really be taught like this. Naruto was surprised to note that even through the course of the day, he could move more quickly, and his blows felt stronger with all the proper movements.

Shino and Shikamaru were also being critiqued, so he didn't even feel spotlighted. He didn't dare hope too much, not yet anyway. But it was hard not to feel his mood lighten. If Ibiki was telling the truth, he might survive his genin team. Iruka had tried to talk him out of fearing everyone in the village. He'd argued back that he had experienced more than enough of the people's nature to be accurate in his interpretations.

This was too early to tell, for certain, but it might just be like his old sensei had said. He would wait and watch. It might take a long time, but he would eventually learn what to really expect from these three people he had been placed with.

"Naruto!" At his name, the blonde spun around, finding Shikamaru holding out a scroll to him. He blinked, finding it strange that he had zoned out around other people. His target was covered in clumps of senbon though, so his body at least had kept going. Shikamaru was talking though. "Sensei said that he had something to do. He assigned us to go over these old mission reports and make a report on the effectiveness of the teams in them." The brunette looked particularly displeased to be sent home with more work. Naruto just nodded and accepted the roll of paper.

"O-ok. Yeah." He stuttered back. Shikamaru just sighed and turned back to his own target.

"He said to finish it by tomorrow." Naruto went on to gather up all of his needles and carefully pack them away. He had to go on his bi-monthly foraging trip tonight. He hadn't had much to eat these last several days. The boy shyly waved goodbye to his team and then hurried away. He missed the narrow eyed look that Shino gave him as he departed.

Shikamaru slouched over to him after he was sure Naruto was out of hearing range.

"Hey," he mumbled. "I was wondering if you had a bit of time?" The Nara carefully didn't say what he wanted. He wasn't quite sure he should be doing this. He had no idea how to approach Naruto about the oddities he had seen. Shino had also been watching Naruto throughout the day. Shikamaru had seen the bug user frown from time to time as well. Ibiki had been pretty normal, from what little Shikamaru knew of him. But the man was a Jonin, he could be hiding things from his genin. The Nara didn't feel like he could come directly to Naruto or his sensei yet. Shino though, he might be his best bet. Figuring out what was wrong with Naruto and how they could help would be his official extra credit project, he decided.

"I have no obligations for some time." The other boy said after a long pause. Shikamaru nodded.

"Good. I have something I wanted to discuss with you." Shino nodded after a short pause. He too, had spent the day trying to puzzle out their blonde companion. He wouldn't push too much into the other's life, not yet anyway. Shino knew that many people, himself included, required time to open up. He wouldn't have appreciated pushy teammates.

"I suspect that this has to do with a mutual acquaintance." He intoned. There were many things about Naruto that gave off a bad vibe. Things were not like they should be. How exactly, and to what extent he wasn't sure. Shino wouldn't let his team and budding friendships be damaged if he could help though. Shikamaru nodded, hearing the unspoken reference to Naruto.

"Ok, good. Let's go somewhere else though. I don't feel like this should be out in the air like this." Depending on what they came up with, it might be quite harmful to be overheard. Naruto was shy and clearly did not appreciate attention. There was no need to cause any more problems when there were already several hovering over him. Shino agreed silently.

The Aburame lead them this time. He knew of several quiet spots around his clan lands where they would be undisturbed. The pair were silent, both lost in thought. When Shino stopped, they were in a small clearing surrounded by dense underbrush. A tiny, worn looking shrine stood to one side of the cleared area. Shino slid open the carved door and gestured for Shikamaru to enter. The inside was a single open room. The walls had faded murals painted on them, with carefully crafted shelves almost blending in to the scenes. On the tatami mat floor, a small table with a pair of cushions was resting.

"This is my 'hide out' I suppose." Shino murmured in the quiet. "No one else even knows it's here. Why? Because no one else explores this area." Shikamaru sat and waited for the other to join him.

"So, I wanted to talk about Naruto." The Nara still felt a bit of guilt worm its way through him. He didn't want to do this in secret, but he didn't think the boy in question would really answer him. Shino just nodded.

"This would be the logical reason. Why? Naruto is troubled, and something is wrong. He would not tell us though."

"Man… this is going to be such a drag." Shikamaru sighed and leaned back. "I take it you noticed some things that don't make sense. We should compare what we saw." Shino was quiet for a moment.

"He presents himself inaccurately. He has no confidence, and yet he has great skill. His warning yesterday about the village being hostile was correct, more so than he even told us. He is afraid of people, every one including us." Shikamaru idly picked at his shirt.

"I noticed that what I remember from the Academy doesn't make sense. He is and was set up to fail constantly. Why? The village has no reason I can see to isolate him so much. I don't know anything about him. He's an orphan, was born around the time of the Kyuubi attack like the rest of our class, and he has no clan. That's it. He never said anything else that I can recall." They sat in silence for a while, both contemplating. Shino shifted slightly then. He brought his hands up to the table top.

"I am somewhat familiar with the looks he received in the village." He paused. Shikamaru was caught by surprise when the other boy went on with a nit of caution in his voice. "People occasionally look at my clan that way."

"What? Why?" He bit out. The Nara hated being out of the loop of information. Now, it seemed like he was mission something about both of his fellow genin.

"Our clan jutsu, and our kikaichu are not always looked on fondly." Was all Shino had to say.

"Ah," Shikamaru started turning the words and their previous train of conversation over in his mind "but what could Naruto have that would cause the same reaction? Something is missing here. It has to be something big." The negative response to the Aburame clan could be easily understood. Many civilians and even other ninja found the idea of allowing a colony of insects to nest in one's body to sickening. And the Aburame clan was rather eerie at times. Shino had yet to display it, but Shikamaru knew that when the host was particularly agitated, the kikaichu could buzz from within. His father had mentioned the experience being quite chilling once, a few years back. Shino was still, silent. The Nara sighed again, leaning back on one arm.

"This is going to be such a pain to work out." He hesitated, but went on. He wanted to form a strong team, and being honest with each other would go a long way towards that. "I don't really like not going to Naruto directly about this. I know he won't be open to talking about things right now, but it just makes me… I don't know. It feels like we're treating him like a threat or something."

"I too feel this way. Logically though, it would not be in the best interests of anyone involved to confront him at this time. Why? Because he would likely see us as attacking him. Naruto is, as I said, insecure about himself." Shikamaru nodded.

"It's a real pain, but I was thinking we could stay late after our team meetings and do some independent practice with him."

"It would give us more time together, which could help us uncover this mystery. Why? Because we will be spending time bonding over shared experiences." Shikamaru shrugged.

"Something like that." He yawned then. "Haa… I can bring it up tomorrow, see what Naruto thinks." Shino agreed.

"I will also seek out advice from my family. They may know something more about Naruto that we do not." They sat there for a few more minutes, occasionally bringing up another point about Naruto of their team to consider. Both left the small shrine with preoccupied thoughts. Tomorrow, they would start trying to figure out what was going on.


	14. Chapter 13

**So, another note. I will be unable to update this story for a while. So sad, I will miss being able to write. I should be back by December, but until then, I will have to take a short break. Hopefully, all you guys will stick around that long. Please enjoy this chapter.**

Ibiki left his genin with scrolls and an assignment. He had a few… guests to visit this afternoon before he could go home to work out more training and tests for his team. There would be some paperwork to deal with as well. The jonin would be pushing the three genin more as the days went on. Right now, he was easing them into team practices and routine. Once they got more comfortable around him and each other, he would being pushing their limits. Naruto and Shikamaru would be harder to gauge than Shino. The Aburame didn't downplay or conceal his skill. Both the others did. Shikamaru was too laid back and lacked the drive to prove himself. Naruto was just to timid and cautious. The blond boy might have legitimate reasons for being that way. Ibiki would be assigning a few of the new recruits and maybe an ANBU or two to look into this. The Hokage would not be pleased if something had been going on around Naruto. For that matter, Shikaku would have a lot to say about it too. The jonin sighed slightly. He had too much work to do now. Kids were too much trouble. He was never getting married.

T&I headquarters was rather quiet when he walked in. The petite woman at the desk nodded silently at him as he passed. Anko couldn't be in the building if it was this calm. Shame, she would have been a nice addition to his interrogation routine today. Ibiki stalked through the hallways to the cells putting his three kids out of his mind for the time being. He passed the ANBU guard outside the cell and entered to see their target. The man was tied with both chains and a chakra seal. Ibiki shut the door behind himself and towered over the seated captive.

"My my, our guest must be tired of waiting. No matter, I will have this done soon." He let a malicious grin quirk his features before he started. Two hours later, outside the small cell, the hallways echoed with the rasping sobs of their guest.

Naruto walked quickly through the streets to his apartment. He took as many back alleys as he could, but he did have to cross a few areas with people. He held his 'homework' close to his chest, in fear of losing it. He wouldn't be chancing Ibiki's wrath over a failed assignment any time soon if he could help it. Iruka-sensei was scary enough. He didn't need to find out what Ibiki would do if he failed. His apartment was just as he left it when he passed through his window. He checked everything carefully to be sure.

He had just put his scroll down on his bed when a bundle of scrolls on the kitchen counter caught his eye. Naruto couldn't help his grin at the sight. He loved getting new resources. He had no idea who could be leaving them for him, but he loved them all the same. He hurried over and scooped them up. A large book was at the bottom. He picked it up curiously. He only had a few books. Most of what he had were easy readers from when he was just teaching himself to read.

This book, bound in dark brown leather with what seemed to be painted lettering on the front, was very fancy. The title read " _Sealing and Matrixes: The Basics"_. Naruto had never heard of such a thing. What on earth were matrixes? He would read this book though. He read every single thing that was given to him. Even though some of them were boring, he wouldn't discard any information. Who ever chose these gifts always left things that were really helpful too.

He set aside the book to check through the rest of the scrolls. Two were more advanced kata for the two styles he was combining, and one was a scroll on chakra and chakra building exercises. The fourth and final scroll had a second roll of paper wrapped around it. Naruto pulled it off and was about to toss it away when the ink on it caught his eye. It was a note. This was very unexpected. Naruto had never had any sort of correspondence from his benefactor. He hastily glanced over it.

' _Naruto, good job! You passed the Academy and are now a Genin. You have a team now, so take good care of them all. I hope you continue to progress well in your studies. The book is a family heirloom from your mother's side. Take good care of it. The scroll with this note is a jutsu scroll. It contains four basic jutsu of various sorts. Be careful when trying them. The fire and wind ones can be super dangerous if something goes wrong. Keep working with the shadow clone jutsu. It will come in handy. Good luck.'_ A smudged doodle of a dog was the only signature.

The handwriting was messy and more of a scrawl than anything else. Naruto couldn't help running a finger over the words though. After years of these things just showing up, he finally had at least some contact from their giver. Who ever this was, Naruto was forever in their debt. He re-read the note, and then stared at the doodle.

The more he looked, the more it looked like a picture of a wild hound he'd seen once. _That's decided then. I'll call this person Hound now._ Grinning again, he flopped back on his bed. Things might just be looking up. He had talked with his team more easily today, and Ibiki might not be as bad as he thought. Iruka had given him advice and lots of ideas to help with his anxiety. Now he might be able to figure out who Hound was. He reminded himself that things were still really new right now. It would take awhile for any of these things to actually pan out if they were going to. But the little bubble of hope he'd felt at training that morning was rising again.

He sighed and rolled over to pick up the scroll from Ibiki-sensei. He flipped it open and started reading the report. The mission was from at least twenty years ago. It involved a team called 'Team Jiraiya'. The team, a genin team, was supposed to take a scroll containing trade agreements from a wealthy merchant in a fire country city to a trade city just inside the borders of the land of Rivers. They were also transporting a small amount of other things for the same client. The Jonin was listed as Jiraiya, who Naruto recalled, was one of the Sanin. The three genin were not named, but Naruto would have bet they were all competent if they had that caliber of sensei. He browsed the details of the mission for several minutes.

He would have to get out his map later and look at the route they took and compare to others available. The blonde sat up and carefully tucked away his new scrolls, but left out the 'homework' one. He had to get a move on with his hunting. It was already nearly six o'clock.

The sun would start to dip below the horizon soon. He didn't mind being out after dark, but it was easier to find some of the things he was after when it was light. That in mind, he switched his nicer clothes out for a torn and stained jumpsuit. It had been orange once, but now it was more brown than anything. These were his work clothes. He left his forehead protector and his pouch of kunai and shuriken. He needed to pack light, so he could bring back what food he found. Only his senbon and a long bladed hunting knife were kept. He slung an empty pack on and then checked his traps before leaving.

He left the main area of the village swiftly. He took off north and slightly west, over the rooftops. He kept low and did his best to move quietly and stay out of sight. He passed by the busy parts of the village and out past some of the clan areas. He kept going through the trees where the buildings were suitable any longer. There were few people out this far, and nearer to the walls and the river there were less. Naruto kept to the tree tops for a little longer. He sure this was far enough away.

Dropping down to the forest floor, he secured his pack and made sure he checked the area for any signs of people. He calmed he breathing and concentrated. When he tried, he knew he could often tell if there were ninja around. He listened hard, and sniffed the air. Nothing. Last, he sensed around him for any tingle that would be chakra. He didn't really know what this ability was, but it was damned useful when he snuck around. People wondered how he got into some of the places he did when he pranked. This would be their answer.

Confident that he was alone, the blond boy crept to the river's edge. He took a deep breath and then jumped in the water. He couldn't open his eyes once in the cold rush, but he knew the feeling of the large stones embedded in the banks and bed of the river from long practice. He crossed his fingers in the seal, and created two clones of himself. One pushed off the other to propel him up stream. The second clone followed after Naruto and Naruto used it to pull himself a few more feet up. It was hard going, but he made it through the underground portion of the river and to the tiny pocket of air just outside the wall. A sealed chakra barrier was cutting off his progress. He could feel the tiny hint of chakra buzzing only inches in front of him. The pocket of air was only big enough for his head, and then the protective wall was above it.

Naruto dispelled his clones and reached up to slide the single loose stone aside. It had taken him weeks to chip away the mortar to free the large stone. Inside the wall in the spot, there was a hollow pocket. It wasn't a tunnel, it didn't lead anywhere. It was just a hollow space left in the building. Naruto could use it to get outside the walls undetected though.

He hauled his dripping body up into the space and shook some of the water off. To the left, there was a small swell in the wall. It was a round-ish area only three feet around. Naruto had to get this part just right, or ANBU would be coming. He slid another loose stone aside and backed up as far as he could. A running jump propelled him out past the seal shield that coated the wall. He had to keep his limbs all in a line to avoid the fringe of the seal, but he made it.

His landing was much more rough. He didn't have anything to catch himself on, and so crashed into a bush headfirst. He lay still for a moment, shaking off the impact. Eventually he sat up and took stock of the area. He knew this particular stretch of the forest well. He had discovered this way out about three year ago, and he had spent many hours wandering around out at night. He started making a mental list of what he was after. He only had so much time to spend out tonight. Ibiki would be expecting his report tomorrow after all.

 _Let's see, there is meat of course. A rabbit or two would do. Then, some veggies and fruit if I can find it. So, set a trap, then go farther to forage. The wild asparagus and tubers should be in season._ He walked to a small fallen tree and moved aside a bush to pull out a set of wires and twine. He untangled them and then set up five snares and traps around the area. He then headed deeper into the forest. Two hours later, he was back in the clearing, with a good ammount of plants and fruits in his pack. Only one trap had caught anything. He unstrung the rabbit and went around to collect the other snares. He then set to skin and clean the animal. He grimaced once he was done. He hated getting bloody, but hey, a guy's gotta eat. It took a few minutes to clean up and hide any signs of his presence before he was ready to head back in.


	15. Chapter 14

Authors' note: Yay! I can write and post again! I finally finished moving. It's a lot more work than I expected. Thank you all so much for reading my story. I was totally blown away by how many people favorite-ed and followed this story, even while I wasn't updating. It makes me so happy to know that people like my work enough to read it. I will try to get back to regular updates, but with the holiday season upon us, and preping for collage, I may not be able to. Without further delay, the next chapter!

It was harder to get back inside the hollow space in the wall. The blond made his way back to the river and made a set of three clones. He had them carefully arrange into the necessary configuration, two crouched down with the third perched on top of the others. Naruto then climbed up along side the third clone. The two on the bottom stood slowly and then the third clone grasped Naruto's wrist tightly. A breath later, Naruto was hurtling towards the gap in the wall. He had to focus on keeping his body still and rigid to be sure not to touch the seal. He'd only hit it once, but he didn't have any desire to repeat _that_ experience.

Once inside the hollow, he checked his pack before covering the hole and dropping back in to the frigid water below. He covered up that hole as well, then let himself be pushed along by the flow. He let himself be carried a ways down river before he pulled himself to the banks and flopped out on a rock. He shook water out of his eyes and grinned slightly. He hated and loved these little excursions. On the one hand, he was forced to hunt for food because the village wasn't open to him shopping most of the time. He had to conserve his small stipend for things he couldn't get, like clothes and ninja gear.

But, they were also enjoyable on some level. He got to explore, and build valuable field skills. He knew that chunin patrolled the walls and the area outside them. He'd never been caught though. His stealth had been built up after his many flights after pranks.

He had gotten to the point of being able to dodge and get away from all the chunin and most of the jonin and ANBU that came after him. Iruka-sensei had always managed to catch him when he was around, but Naruto suspected that had more to do with the teacher's own experience with pranking than anything else.

He lay still on the rock. The sky was dark now and the stars were out. Naruto traced imaginary lines between the little lights. There was a rare moment of peace for him right now. It was quiet, only vague forest sounds to keep him company. There were no people around and the boy was able to forget about all his problems. He stayed there for nearly an hour, just watching the sky.

Shikamaru was lounging in the family library. It was nearly dark outside, and the genius boy had already analyzed his scroll from earlier. It was his second 'project' that held his attention right now. He had been flipping through the records his family kept on significant events in and around the village. Three volumes had been discarded when nothing was found. He was unsure of what exactly he was after, just some loose ideas about finding Naruto's family name or anything else to do with the other boy. Right now, he was reading through accounts of the Fourth Hokage being put in office and the few other changes that went along with him. Still nothing on the name Uzumaki could be found. It was weird. There was no way Naruto himself was the cause of the hate. He was too young to have done anything to cause such a thing. And Shikamaru was pretty sure that this had been going on for years at this point. So, his family or some other connection had to be the key. He turned the last page and huffed in frustration. This page was unhelpful as well. Setting the thick book aside, he sat up and reluctantly went back the bookshelf closest. He pulled out the next volume and returned to his spot on the sofa. This book, written in his father's neat handwriting, followed much the same pattern as the other four he'd finished. He skimmed through pages about the war and some internal conflicts. A page caught his eye halfway through. The writing here was shaky, and much smaller than on the other pages. Shikamaru sat up straight. He'd never known his father to become flustered or shaken. Out of all the adult ninja Shikamaru had observed, his father was one of the most steady and level-headed. Whatever had caused this obvious break in his character, the youth was horribly curious. Almost eagerly, he read the page. _The nine-tails attack… okay so why… oh, well this is new._ He wasn't sure what it meant, but the words were something else. Instead of dry, factual accounts of events, this appeared to be a personal entry.

" _Today, we started clearing away the rubble and collecting the dead. Many good people have been lost, and many civilians too. Minato would be heartbroken. He and his dear- but they are both gone. My close friend and his wife both lost their lives for this village. Minato did what he always wanted to though. He, and Kushina both. His dreams of being the Hokage and protecting his precious people were realized. If only it hadn't been at such a cost. His last wish will be difficult to see realized. The child will be missing both his parents."_ Shikamaru almost gaped at the book. He'd never heard his dad speak about the Fourth. But here it seemed like Shikaku had been very close to the man.

Minato, the name was unfamiliar. He'd have to look into this. He had never heard of Kushina either. And a child was mentioned. He didn't know if it was the Hokage's child, or this Kushina person. It could be nothing, but his gut told him this could be important. He closed the book and gathered up the others to return to the shelf. He'd have to look for Naruto's family in some other way.

"What a drag. Why did I have to have such a high maintenance team…?"

Morino Ibiki wasn't the type of person who would have a nice, comfortable home to return to after hard days spent torturing people. He's the kind of man to live in a dungeon with skulls and chains decorating the place. He'd sleep in a cave like room filled with damp and dank things. Or so the majority of the village and it's shinobi would tell you. In reality, his house was a small, two story cottage near the edge of the more quiet residential area. It had a tile roof and window boxes with herbs and flowers in them. Inside, a living area with an inviting fireplace and armchairs welcomed you. His kitchen was small, as was the dining table. Upstairs, his bedroom and two guest rooms occupied most of the space. The house had warm, gentle cream walls mostly. The furniture was cherry coloured wood with blue and grey upholstery. He had no signs of his work anywhere. Anko had been shocked that not even a spare kunai could be seen lying around. A few landscape paintings decorated the walls.

The tall man sighed and flopped gracelessly into a recliner. He'd never forgive Inoichi and Shikaku for convincing him to take this blasted genin team. Ibiki was a man of duty though. He would not shirk his responsibility. He picked up a plainne notebook from the small side table and flipped it to the marked page. His notes on his three genin were sparse as of yet. His personal cypher code took up less space than normal writing. Each boy had less than a page devoted to them.

He started writing more details down for Shino. _Focused, balanced, protective of Naruto. Could use a few more chakra building exercises and then jutsu to follow. Possible issue with narrow focus. Look into his personality more._ He'd have to start pushing the team closer together. A few drills and unit exercises wouldn't go wrong at this point. It was too early to tell how well the three boys would bond.

Ideally, the four of them would form a solid unit. But, Ibiki could always make it a three against one just to get them to connect. Shikamaru would need some motivation for actually using his full potential and not just barely enough to get by. _Strategist, would do well with information gathering and analysis. Work on speed and endurance. Talk to Shikaku and Yoshino for motivation ideas._ Naruto would be the one he had to research the most. He had no family to observe, and the boy himself gave off mixed signals. There was clearly some abuse, but the extent and time span of it were unclear. He'd tasked two of his investigators, one of whom was ex-ANBU with digging up whatever they could on him. Once he had a better idea of what the situation was, the Hokage would be hearing from him.

For the time being, he would just have to focus on reassuring the boy of the team, and him particularly, being on his side. _Encourage, and assist, feel out more abilities as gently as possible. Appears to be a powerhouse of chakra, intuitive and able to grasp more difficult concepts easily._ That thought caused a thin smile. Ibiki could still see the kid standing in the classroom at the exam, looking only mildly curious about the Shadow Clones. The jonin had no idea what Hound had been thinking, showing the kid that jutsu.

He closed the notebook and then leaned back to relax. It was late, and he had to be up early. He had quite a few scrolls to prepare for their history review tomorrow.


	16. Chapter 15

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! This chapter is a bit short, but hopefully I will be able to get a longer one out after the craziness that is December. Enjoy!

The next day dawned just as the previous one. The three genin converged on the clearing at almost the same time. Shikamaru was still bemoaning the early hour, but Naruto and Shino were silent about it. 5 AM was early, but they were both relatively early birds. Ibiki had arrived before them, predictably. He motioned them to their now customary seats.

"Today, we will be doing endurance training, chakra training, and agility drills. I will read each of your work on the mission reports and return them with criticism." He watched how each one reacted to their assignment. Only Shikamaru seemed to really care. Naruto and Shino just gave motions of assent. "I'll take the reports now. Run a course around the clearing and through the forest. I marked a path with flagging. Don't stop until I say. No chakra is to be used." The three boys quietly handed over the mission reports and headed off to run. Ibiki set aside the reports. Eyes narrowed, he observed the three run. Naruto was easily in front right now. He had both speed and endurance. Shino was evenly paced close behind. As he expected, the Nara boy was the slowest. He might have to get him some weights to train with. Guy had good training practices, even if much of the rest of what the man did was suspect.

Naruto was glad to have such a simple task so early. It gave him time to get into a better mindset. He absently touched his pocket, making sure that his senbon were still there. He'd had nightmares all night, and the throwing needles, small and easy to hide, helped sooth some of his unease. He was going to have to work on talking to his team more. And work on being more at ease around them, but one thing at a time. His trip outside the walls of the village had been a welcome reprieve for him, but now it was back to tense, uncomfortable days spent constantly facing his fears. Self-talking himself through things helped somewhat, but it got tiring quickly. Trying to get himself focused more on his run, he followed the flagged path with his eyes, mentally marking areas to trip up pursuers and to deviate. He unconsciously mapped out escape routes.

After satisfactorily planning for _something_ to go wrong, Naruto was starting to think about other things. The book and new scrolls he'd been given were the first thing that jumped into his mind. The book hadn't been opened, but he'd glanced over the jutsu scroll. It looked really interesting, but he hadn't had a chance to try them out. After he had gotten home and finished the 'homework' report, he hadn't had any time to try the justus and the steps included for learning them.

He also wanted to start on the book. It was a family heirloom, or something like that. It made him feel… weird. Should he be happy to have something of his mother's'? He didn't know. He almost didn't want to even touch the book in case there was some mistake. Who were his parents'? And where did the book come from? Were there more things out there that he should have? It made his head hurt.

There were so many things about the previous night that threw him off balance. The note, it was unexpected and he wasn't sure what to expect from the future. He was, on one hand, ecstatic to be more connected to his benefactor, but he knew there had to be some deeper reason for the constant gifts. Was he ready to know what that reason was? And now, there was the added struggle of some kind of family connection.

For years, the blond boy had searched for some mention of his family. Uzumaki didn't show up in any records from the past fifty years. It was not a clan from Konoha, nor a civilian name. Naruto was at a loss as to where his last name could have come from. He'd asked the Hokage once, only to be told that he would learn about it later. _When the hell is 'later'!?_ It still irked him to be dismissed like that. And now there was someone who had information, and apparently access to things Naruto didn't.

Growing up in an orphanage, Naruto had gotten to see many different types of children, and adults. There were the kids who had lost family later in their young lives. They were almost always more moody and likely to endlessly reminisce about their parents or other family. There were those who had no memory of their parents, but knew their names, maybe even had pictures. Then there were those like Naruto. These children had no names, no knowledge of their origins and little hope of ever finding these things out.

Out of these rough groups, Naruto was always the most envious of the first group. In his mind, any amount of pain and sorrow was worth the memory of being loved. He recalled Sasuke Uchiha, the irritable boy who hated him. Sasuke had so much that Naruto would have died for.

He had known his parents, lived in a home with them and been able to have something to go back to each day. He still did. Naruto knew that Sasuke had a brother who lived still. _And yet,_ He thought, _he seemed to disregard that so much. The same with the orphanage kids. They just… I would give almost anything to have even a scrap of memories… I guess maybe I'm not worth it. The village always says so._ Naruto almost tripped on an uneven patch of earth.

He cursed colourfully under his breath. He shouldn't be thinking of this stuff while training. He was a ninja now, and not just an unhappy school kid. He'd promised Iruka that he would do his best. He also promised not to believe the crap that people spouted about him. He touched his pocket of senbon and then the blade he had strapped to his chest under his clothes. He had to calm his mind and try to focus on other things. His mind could wander, but only if he could still function well.

The flashes of his nightmares made his determination waver. Images he had long tried to suppress resurfaced periodically. They almost always came back after he had been overly stressed and then had started to decompress. He knew that he shouldn't have stayed out after his hunting trip. Now his thoughts were going crazy and that compounded with his lack of sleep and being around his team made his head a mad house.

He kept his running pace even. _I can do this. I will train, do my best. I will ignore my anxiety and look for good things. I will not be attacked by my team. Ibiki-sensei will be trying to improve us all._ Iruka had encouraged him to tell himself goals and instructions to help with the anxiety. Naruto was trying it. Who knows? It could be good.


	17. Chapter 16

Early update! I will be very busy tomorrow, so I decided to post this tonight. I just wanted to give a shout out to all of those who have favorited, followed, and reviewed. This there had been a much greater response to this than I anticipated ever having. Thanks for all your support! I hope you all enjoy.

Ibiki watched his three students, (it seemed to be what he had spent the last few days focusing on) make laps around his course. He had purposely put them through several different types of terrain. There was a sandy stretch near a small pond. Then through the trees, some areas overgrown with brush and brambles. Then a rocky, uneven area. It was not the easiest course to run, but that was the point. Running over less than ideal areas was realistic. The more accustomed the genin were to this, the better they would do out in the field.

It was only twenty minutes in. Already Shikamaru had begun to drop behind. Shino was keeping to his even pace, but he had not shown any signs of speeding up. Naruto though, had progressively gotten faster. Ibiki had watched their progress while grading their work.

All three showed good insight of various sorts on the reports. He would be basing some of his other lessons on what he gleaned from these tests. Shikamaru's was the most thorough and tactical. The assassination mission he'd reviewed had been replanned twice over with all kinds of alternate paths and such. It was very good, but lacking in room of the unexpected. Shino was brutally practical and realistic. He had not been ingenuitive, but his points on the flaws of the recon mission were accurate and his alternate plan was solid. Naruto had done a mix of many different things it seemed.

He had outlined other routes the team could have used. He planned for maneuvers in the event of an attack, using surprisingly realistic ideas. Then there was the detailed plan of where and how to set up camps, complete with complex, but easily placed traps around the camps. Then, in contrast, there were very few real tactics used. Some of the things written were along the lines of 'Don't draw attention. Just avoid main roads and keep to the less heavily traveled hours.'

It was another example of Naruto's odd contrasts. Ibiki would have to look into the pranks the boy had pulled. It seemed like there could be some real skill there. The three boys all had more or a grasp of missions and strategy than he had thought. The jonin smirked. He would just let them continue with their run for a while longer now. He was the jonin after all. Half the fun was watching your genin wear themselves out.

Two hours later, Ibiki finally had pity on the three exhausted genin. By this time, even Naruto was lagging. He stood and called them back. He waited a few minutes for them to regain their breath.

"Take a ten minute break. Agility training will not be easy." The genin all gratefully sat down and rested. Shikamaru lay down to watch the clouds. Naruto sat closer to Shino, but there was still a bit of distance. Shikamaru was laying on the other side of Shino. Ibiki left them alone for the duration of the break.

"Time to start." He intoned. The jonin was carefully hiding his inner glee at this particular drill. Anko was good for some things, and her ideas for teaching people to dodge and move quickly were highly effective, if not appreciated by the student. His genin were standing now, and looking at him. "Agility is best taught practically. You will be dodging." That was all the warning they had.

Ibiki might have been in T&I for years now, but he kept up his skills. He was gone from their field of vision in a blink. He was also using this as a test to see how each of the genin reacted under pressure and attack. He was, unfortunately, not surprised that Naruto was the quickest to start moving. THe blond boy turned and lowered his body slightly while backing up and moving to the left. _He already found me… That's quite intuitive for a genin._ Ibiki flicked out three groupings of shuriken.

Shikamaru and Shino were moving by now. Still a quick response from tired children. Naruto was rolling to the side, moving erratically. Ibiki would be pushing him harder than the other two. He created a shadow clone and then used the body flicker jutsu to appear in the clearing close to the three genin. The clone threw a few more kunai and shuriken around to distract.

Ibiki got Shikamaru with a light clip from his shin and Shino stumbled when he failed to dodge Ibiki's punch. Naruto was having to leap and roll to keep ahead of the kunai and now senbon the clone was raining down. Ibiki flicked away into the threes again, only to come at them from behind. Shikamaru rolled to the side, narrowly missing Ibiki only to be struck by three senbon.

Shino was still keeping ahead of the missiles. Naruto had taken to the trees, a logical move, if Ibiki were another genin. It was uncommon for genin to travel around Konoha on the 'Express Ninja Rout' otherwise known as the rooftops and trees. However, anyone chunin or higher would be more than capable of following him. His clone had moved to intercept Naruto while Ibiki chased after the other two for a bit longer. He clipped Shikamaru again and Shino received a very shallow cut on his right forearm. Then Ibiki went after Naruto. He was watching closely for any tells or other oddities. It was already evident that the blond boy had run from people before and dodged weapons.

Naruto managed to leap away from his first attack, but the second got him. Ibiki hit his back while the genin was jumping. Naruto flipped and fell through the branches of the tree and landed on his shoulder. Ibiki grimaced slightly. That was a hard landing, and it looked like his shoulder might end up sprained. Naruto scrambled back up though and kept moving.

The jonin went back to his chase and kept his eye out for any sign that Naruto's shoulder was bothering him. An hour later, all three genin were bleeding from minor cuts and scrapes. Naruto had shown an alarming familiarity with running from people, as in plural. Ibiki had set two clones after him, and it hadn't phased the boy. Shikamaru and Shino struggled a bit more with multiple opponents. Shino had shown, like the jonin had suspected, a fault of focusing to much. The young Aburame had lost sight of Naruto once and they had collided sharply, and later Shino had failed to notice the clone behind him because he was paying attention to the real Ibiki up in the trees. Shikamaru had tired more quickly than the others, but had not faired too much worse. Deciding that the three were worn out enough, Ibiki dispelled the clones.

"We will move on to chakra building." Shikamaru groaned and leaned heavily against a nearby tree. Ibiki shot him a warning glare. He then pointed to three large trees. "You will be each given a set of four weighted discs." He held up two coin sized metal discs. "They repel chakra. To build up reserves, you will be practicing floating the discs above your hand."

He held one in his palm and demonstrated. The flat metal rose smoothly to float six inches above his hand. "You will have to concentrate your chakra on your palm and around the disc. It is much harder than it looks." He tossed them each a set. The boys were all more sluggish when catching them than the jonin would have liked. He noticed Naruto caught his with his left hand and not the right.

He hadn't seen the boy favor his right arm during their dodging exercise, but now he was holding the arm close to his body. Ibiki narrowed his gaze. The sleeve of his blue shirt and the armor mesh under it were bloody. The jonin held up a hand to stop the three from moving.

"Hold. Naruto, what's wrong with your arm?" He tried not to growl or snap, but he failed. Naruto flinched and the other two blinked in surprise. Naruto shrugged slightly.

"N-nothing. I just fell on it." Ibiki stalked closer and stared down at the boy.

"Bull. Sit down and let me see it." He glanced at the other two. "You two as well. First aid comes first in training." Shikamaru and Shino sat quickly but Naruto was still standing up. Ibiki frowned at him.

"I'm- I'm fine." He mumbled again. Ibiki stepped closer.

"No. I am your commanding officer. You follow orders. Sit down." Naruto plopped down without a word then, looking as pale as he had on the day of the exam. Ibiki glanced once at the other two and noted no undue signs of injury. They were going to be checked over once he dealt with Naruto's wounds.

As the jonin knelt and unsealed a large first aid kit from a scroll, he cursed himself. He had made a serious lapse here. He should have checked the genin over before trying to move them on to the next practice. He should have known they wouldn't be able to come out of that unharmed. They were genin, and had only been genin for three days. _Damn it all. I am the jonin. I am the head of T &I, I should be better than this. _Ibiki reached out to grab Naruto's arm.


	18. Chapter 17

More author's notes... geez. This chapter is a bit short, but I am working hard to get more chapter written. More longer chapters are in the works once I get more of a cushion between what I'm writing and editing, and what I've posted. Thanks for your patience!

Naruto paled even more, his face almost grey. Ibiki was now worried for more than one reason. He wasn't aware of anything having hit Naruto badly, but something could have been missed. Was the boy hurt more seriously than he thought? Ibiki knew how much pain could affect people. Naruto was too young to have developed coping habits. The jonin was struck by how small and thin the boy's arm was. His hand reached all the way around it. _Kids are so small, and these ones are just little students, not ninja. Not yet anyway._ He once again wondered why on earth Inoichi and Shikaku thought this was a good idea.

Naruto's arm was indeed bleeding. He carefully turned his arm around to find the wound. Ibiki grimaced slightly when he found it. A senbon, or rather the broken remains of one, was embedded into the flesh below his shoulder joint. There was too much blood, and a bit of dirt, to see the full damage. The jonin looked over at his two other students. Shino appeared to be the less beaten up one.

"Shino, I need you to get some water from the stream." He tossed a sealed packet to the Aburame boy as he stood. "Mix that in the water." The boy caught the packet and quickly turned away with out question. Shikamaru was moving closer.

"Is he ok?" The lazy boy asked, trying and failing to be indifferent. Naruto was shifting away from both of them by now, and breathing far more quickly than the jonin thought advisable. He motioned for Shikamaru to stay where he was.

"There is a broken senbon in your arm." He addressed Naruto. "How long has it been there?" Naruto blinked owlishly at him.

"Um… I-what?" He mumbled eventually. Ibiki kept his voice calm and patient with difficulty.

"How long has your shoulder been hurt?" Naruto blinked again. He fidgeted with the cuff of his left sleeve.

"J-just since I fell th-that one time…" Ibiki cursed internally again. He knew that fall was bad. That was what he got for not listening to his instincts. Shino quietly returned with a canteen of water. Ibiki accepted it and made Naruto hold out his arm a little. As he poured the water over his injury the state of it became more clear. The senbon was broken off, and there were already bruises forming around it. There was no tearing of the wound. The needle must have broken cleanly. Ibiki next gave a few instructions.

"I have to pull it out. You two, hold Naruto's shoulders to keep him still." To Naruto, who was looking worse by the minute, he tried to give reassurance. He vaguely recalled feeling fear as a genin when he had to make his first trip to the hospital after a mission. Naruto was clearly not at ease with his team yet either. _He needs to calm down, and cooperate. How to put him at ease…_ A loose analogy came to mind. "This will be like pulling out a splinter. It will hurt, but afterwards it will get better." It sounded lame to the jonin, but it was his best idea on the fly. Naruto didn't seem to be focusing. His eyes were dilated and vacant, but he nodded slowly. Shikamaru was looking worse for wear at this point.

Worry was clear in his body language. Shino was uneasy, but more calm than the other two. Both clan heirs reached out to hold their blond counterpart still. Naruto was starting to twitch sporadically. Ibiki slipped off his gloves and picked up a pair of sturdy tweezers. He was able to ignore his genin in favor of dealing with the injury.

Shikamaru and Shino were less fortunate. Both were tired and hurting from their training, and Shikamaru was not dealing well with Naruto's injury. He knew that being a ninja would as good as guarantee numerous injuries of all kinds, but he never thought… This was almost worse to see someone else hurt. Naruto looked like he was a second away from hyperventilating and passing out. The Nara heir couldn't understand how such an injury had been ignored by the blond. Unpleasant whispers in the back of his mind made the sick feeling in his gut worse. _What if there is a reason Naruto didn't say anything? What if he's being hurt more than we know?_ He shot a glance at Shino. The other was focused on Naruto. A frown clearly marked his face. Shino glanced to the side and then gave Shikamaru a very slight nod. They would be meeting after training today. They couldn't let this mystery surrounding their teammate continue.

Ibiki had carefully extracted the broken senbon and was flushing out the wound, bloody water ran down Naruto's arm. Ibiki then applied a salve and gauze before wrapping the area tightly. Naruto was sitting very still now. His eyes were wide and dilated. Shikamaru had gotten himself under control and was observing everything. Shino had sat back and released his hold on the blond. Ibiki swept a cursory glance over the three. He saw nothing else that would need field attention. He sighed slightly. There was no way they were going to be able to do the rest of his planned training.

"Your assignment will be this," He said, startling all three boys. Naruto still looked peaked and dazed. The jonin pulled out their three scrolls and returned them. "I have looked over your assessments and critiqued them. Read them over. Then, go to the Shinobi Library and choose one subject that you are less familiar with and research it. Write a short report on what you learn and turn it in to me tomorrow. Our training is done for today." The three boys nodded. Then they awkwardly sat in the dirt for a moment longer. Ibiki stood and motioned for the two clan heirs to do the same.

"I will be escorting Naruto to the hospital for a check up." Naruto stood shakily, holding his shoulder close to his body still. He shrunk back.

"I t-think it's fine now. I don't n-need to… to go to the hospital." Shino took a breath to admonish his comrade. Shikamaru beat him to it.

"Nope. You should go. It could be worse than you know, and a shinobi can't afford to have debilitating injuries." The Nara slouched and turned away. "I don't want to worry about you being hurt." The latter statement was mumbled, and Ibiki was sure the boys ears were pink. Naruto blinked, then nodded silently. Shino watched the by-play before turning towards the path out of the training area.

"I will see you all tomorrow." The Jonin put a hand on Naruto's back and pushed gently, directing him. Shikamaru followed Shino with a casual wave.


	19. Chapter 18

Shino was home, aching and tired from the grueling training session. He had taken care of the bruises and minor scrapes he had and now he sat in his room. It was dim, the blinds drawn. His bed was made and all of his things were in their place. He was looking over his side project, the ' _Help Naruto and Figure Him Out_ ' project. The Aburame boy was going to have to seek outside help on this. This had already been established in the few days he had been around Naruto. He had watched closely each time the members of their team interacted with Naruto, watched how he behaved, what he said, how he held himself. There were some things abundantly clear, things he could categorize and find possible reasons for. He listed them off in his head.

 _He is of nervous disposition, fears people and their reactions to him. Why? Because many people appear to poorly react to him. Why? Unknown. He is skilled in some areas, more than he ought to be, but underdeveloped in other areas. Possible cause for this, a lack of personal instruction and practice with others but heavy individual study. Naruto is physically distant. Cause is most likely due to some from of mistreatment. To what extent, and in what ways is unknown. He is always surprised when someone sticks up for him. Lack of positive human interaction?_

The boy shook his head. He wasn't quite sure what to do. Shikamaru had access to family logs and other information, but he didn't. He also wasn't sure how to go about helping once they did find out what was going on. A thought occurred to him then. _Do I need to know before I try to help? I just wanted to keep my team strong and make good friends. Those things do not necessitate having all the information on Naruto. I already noted how he doesn't have anyone there for him. He's an orphan. Why can't Shikamaru and I start helping_ now _? Yes, I can start there, with finding ways to form a bond with my team and then, after we have built trust I can develop more ways to assist Naruto._

Slightly more settled, the boy left his room to join his parents for dinner. This brought up another idea he'd been forming for a while. He waited until the dishes were arranged and set out. As the family of three sat at the low table, Shino spoke up, interrupting the customary quiet.

"Father, what would your opinion of hosting my fellow genin teammates for a meal be?" Shibi glanced up at his son and assessed him.

"I see no issue with having your team here." Shino nodded. He'd hoped that would be his answer. "What brought this on? You have never previously inquired about such things." The boy shrugged stiffly. His family wasn't cold or uncaring, but he wasn't used to talking about his feelings, or expressing his concern over his social life. He hadn't had much talk of friends since he had started attending the Academy.

"I wish to cement a permanent bond with my genin team, and become close to them." His mother smiled over her tea cup.

"I'm glad, friends are important, especially for young people in this village. Tell me when you invite them, I will have to make a larger meal." Shino nodded, and the conversations tapered off into contented silence.

Later, as Shino lay in his bed, he wondered how life would be without his parents. He knew, intellectually, that Naruto and many others had lost their family at some point. But he had never really taken time to consider what that really meant. He had jumbled thoughts of their different lives their first day as a team, when they went to eat together. But only now, with the comfort and support his parents gave with so little prompting, did the boy feel a pang of hurt for his comrade.

Shino knew what it was like being singled out. Often as a child he had been avoided as 'the creepy bug boy' or some variant. It hurt, to hear things like that and see people walk away from you. Shino had seen people in the village do the same to Naruto, accompanied with a slew of insults and comments he didn't understand. The Aburame boy had already decided, that day, that he would befriend the blond boy and become better acquainted with Shikamaru as well. He would have to start picking up the pace. There was no time to waste.

Naruto bit his lip as Ibiki firmly, but not cruelly pushed him along. He hated doctors, absolutely couldn't stand them. He was only moving because his sensei was making him. He bit his lip. The wound on his shoulder throbbed and burned slightly. The blond boy sighed and gave up. Reluctantly, he started walking. He had to grow up, at least a little. _Shino and Shika looked pretty upset that I was hurt. I don't exactly understand why, but Shikamaru wanted me to get checked out. I guess, if it will worry them, I can go to the hospital._ Ibiki still had his hand on his back. Naruto was both comforted and on guard.

They walked through the streets to the large grey building complex. The streets were rather empty despite it being late in the afternoon. Naruto was glad. He didn't feel up to dealing with more people. Not after the past few days anyway. When the odd pair reached the hospital, Ibiki lead them to a wing of the hospital that Naruto had never seen. There were fewer people here as well. A nurse walked up to them, wringing her hands.

"Ibiki-san, what can we do…" She trailed off when she noticed the boy standing with her. Her cheeks pinked, and she hissed slightly. "Why are you here?" She sharply demanded, still looking at the boy. Naruto flinched, but looked up at her anyway.

"I need to see-" Ibiki interrupted him.

"I will be seeing Doctor Itou. Is he available right now?" He growled. The jonin was furious, absolutely livid right now, and he knew that an aura of danger was clinging to him. _Who the hell does she think she is! Damn village, so screwed up. This has got to be dealt with. Naruto and I need to have words, but not until after I deal with this… this …_ He couldn't even think of a good enough insult for the nurse in his anger. The woman had paled and taken a step back. Naruto was looking up at him curiously. It dimly registered that the boy didn't seem bothered by the killing intent Ibiki was radiating. At that moment though, the jonin was more concerned with seeing the doctor first.

"I-itou-sensei is… ah in his office." The nurse muttered before practically running away. Ibiki sighed and directed his genin down one of the halls.

"Damn villagers… Here were are." He knocked once on the door and walked in without waiting for an answer. A middle-aged man with a mustache sat behind the desk. He wore the typical long white coat and a pastel blue yukata under it. He stood when the door closed behind them.

"Ibiki, ah and a young friend." He smiled. Naruto fidgeted. He didn't know this guy, and had no idea what to expect. Ibiki-sensei knew him, and he seemed friendly. He hoped it wasn't a ruse that would disappear as soon as the doctor went to treat him.

Ibiki pushed Naruto forwards a bit.

"This is one of my genin, Naruto Uzumaki. He injured his shoulder today. Would you take a look at him?" Ibiki had tethered his anger for the moment. He wouldn't forget, one did not get to be the head of T&I by letting people get away with things, but for now it could wait. The doctor smiled again.

"Your genin huh? Sure." He motioned Naruto over. "You can step outside…" Ibiki moved away a step and then found Naruto's hand latched on to his sleeve.

Naruto had reacted with out much thought. He hadn't realized how much better he felt with the jonin around until he was threatened with him leaving. _Crap! Why did I grab him?! What do I do? I can't just ask-_ In his mind, the reassurance the big man had given him rang out. " _I cannot help you if you don't tell me what the problem is." Did you mean that? He'd asked... "I do."_ The boy plucked up his courage.

"U-uhh, can he stay?" He asked the doctor, rather than face Ibiki. Itou shared a look with the jonin before nodding.

"Of course. Now, can I have you sit over here for a moment? I will need you to take off that shirt." Naruto complied shakily. He moved as quickly as he could. His arm was on fire, and strangely numb at the same time. He was tired and wanted to go home and hide from the world. The doctor hummed. He turned Naruto's arm this way and that and then peeled back the bandage.

"You field dressed it?" He asked Ibiki, looking over his shoulder.

"Yes, it was at least an hour after the injury occurred though. I removed a senbon, it had broken off in his arm." Itou hummed again and looked closer. Naruto was fidgeting. This was the longest anyone had ever taken to check a wound.

"Um," He squeaked when both men looked at him. "Does it usually take this long?" He wanted to pat himself on the back for not stuttering. _Progress, I guess. But seriously, this is weird._

"How, ah how long do you usually spend here?" Itou had obviously noted the same warning signs that Ibiki had. Naruto shrugged, oblivious to the undercurrent shared by the two adults. The now uncovered wound pulled and started to bleed again.

Ibiki watched as the boy seemed to ignore what should have been a significant twinge of pain. _That is so wrong, in a child of his age._ Ibiki knew, he had _seen_ what kind of treatment it took to garner that kind of desensitized non-reaction. He knew how bad things could be. Naruto was answering. He looked exhausted and confused.

"I don't come in that often, just if I can't handle the injury. I- I uh only stay in the building for like ten minutes." Itou sighed.

"Well, I like to be very thorough. It takes me a long time to assess and then treat my patients. You will just have to _patient_ with me." He grinned, and Naruto cracked a tiny, shy smile at his joke.

"'Kay." He muttered. The doctor bustled around, gathering up a few supplies from the cabinets. Itou hovered over Naruto with everything arranged beside him on a small side table. He dabbed antiseptic on the wound and then held his hand over it.

"Now, this will feel strange. I'm going to use a medical jutsu on you. It will knit the tissue back together, but it will pull and tingle. Please stay still if you can." A swirl of green chakra became visible. Naruto was entranced. He'd never seen anything like it. The feeling of his flesh and skin knitting back together was bizarre. He wanted to scratch at it, the tingling itch the jutsu caused. The genin didn't move though. It took only a few moments for the doctor to finish. He brushed careful fingers over the new flesh. Naruto winced, it still hurt a bit.

"That should be all healed in a few days as long as you don't aggravate it too much. Try to avoid laying on this side when you sleep, and make sure the skin doesn't dry out." Naruto nodded and reached out to pull his shirt back on.

"I'm just curious," The doctor went on. He had turned away to stow the bottle of antiseptic and cotton balls back in their places. "Which other doctor, or doctors have you seen?" Ibiki, who had been busy planning his increasingly large investigation listened closely. Itou was a good man, the jonin knew. He would never allow a patient of his to be given anything but the best care possible. Naruto just shrugged though.

"I dunno." He wasn't looking up, picking at the edge of the chair he sat in. "I usually just see a nurse or someone. I don't know their names, and it's never been the same person twice." Itou huffed, irritated.

"Ah, I see. Well, you take care of that shoulder, and if you ever need to come back, I'll always have time for you." Naruto heard the slight dismissal and eagerly got up. He bowed awkwardly.

"Uh, t-thanks? For the jutsu- er, the… I guess just thanks." He flushed slightly and his stutter was reappearing. Itou smiled.

"My pleasure."

Ibiki was silent until they made it out of the hospital. Naruto had turned uncertainty towards him.

"I can go, r-right?" Naruto was really at his limit. He had used up his quota of words and his courage was waning. He didn't want to address his clinging to Ibiki. It was embarrassing and out of character for the blond. The jonin had scowled at him though. The boy quelled and bit his lip.

"How did you injure yourself enough to warrant a visit to the hospital?" His dark eyes were intent on the boy. Naruto gulped and backed up a step. _Ibiki is not out to get me, not out to get me…_ He chanted in his head. _He just wants to know something. I can talk to him. He did say he wanted to help me, right._

"U-Um. I just happen to- ah, well have a few rough encounters." Ibiki narrowed his eyes further.

"I see. Very well. I will see you tomorrow. Take care, Naruto." He turned and marched off. Naruto saged with relief. The boy glanced around at his position and then leapt up onto the nearest roof. He quickly made his way home, disabling his traps and re-setting them behind himself. He collapsed into his bed and closed his eyes. It was time for a well deserved nap.

ANBU headquarters was not a busy place, in the usual sense of the term. Certainly, there was a constant stream of shinobi passing through on missions and quite a few that bunked down in the small dorm area. But the building always had a hushed, furtive air about it. ANBU were rarely loud, and their headquarters reflected that. Ibiki was accustomed to the chilling quiet. Today, as he had the past week, he only went down to the hidden building in the afternoon. The masked shinobi teams bowed slightly to him as he passed. He was expecting his first report from the team investigating Naruto. Upon reaching his office, the jonin had only been perched behind his desk for a few minutes when a light knock sounded at the door.

"Come in." He answered, alert. A pair of ANBU walked in, one in a bear mask, and the other in a cat mask. They bowed slightly and launched into their report.

"Sir, we have observed the mark and covertly questioned several villagers after suspicious behavior towards the mark." Bear started. Cat continued.

"Two were shopkeepers. Both made very pointed remarks towards the mark, and were blatantly hostile. Several things were thrown at the mark when he walked by." Ibiki sighed.

"I was afraid of this. Do you know to what extent this treatment goes?" Both ANBU shook their heads.

"No sir. Not all the villagers observed reacted the same. Quite a few only avoided the mark. Less than half of them were hostile." Cat continued off where the other stopped.

"However, of that group, many were highly volatile. One chased the mark for several minutes with a knife. The mark shows experience in dealing with this kind of thing. And from our questioning, he has been subjected to this for the last seven years." Bear now continued. Ibiki was showing no change in expression. He had expected most of this. It was what he didn't expect that bothered him.

"The mark left Konoha's war orphanage seven years ago and was placed in a small apartment. Upon his arrival, most of the other inhabitants left the building. There have been numerous cases of vandalism and theft centered around the mark's home." Cat, a frown clear in his voice took up the report.

"When the records were examined, we found sixteen separate cases of physical assault against the boy. Most were not enough to seriously injure him, but each one was enough to require medical attention. It is… likely that there were more incidents that went unreported." Bear, in accordance with his mask, growled.

"These incidents also go as far back as nine years. The boy- the mark was removed from the orphanage after the frequency increased. He applied for separate housing himself." Ibiki didn't remark on his mistake. Cat had already called the mark 'boy'. Ibiki could understand why they were attached already. He might not be the most adept at interacting with children, or emotions, but he knew what it was like to want to protect them. Naruto seemed to evoke that reaction in many of the people he was around.

"In our inquiry, we found out that the mark was sabotaged in the Academy. Purposeful inaccurate instruction, artificial lowering of grades and imbalanced sparring are some of the things we discovered." _That would explain more of why he has such an odd skillset._ Ibiki hummed.

"How far did the attacks and abuse go?" Both ANBU shrugged.

"It was difficult to say. There were definitely more corporal punishments than necessary, both in the orphanage and the Academy. The physical attacks were much more infrequent, but more severe." Cat shuffled in his spot, fingering the pouch of shuriken. "Verbal attacks and abuse are far, far more common. If we took in every person who called the mark a demon, we would run out of room." Ibiki already knew this. He had seen Naruto interact with people outside of the Academy and their team only twice now. Both times had angered him. He sat back in his chair and motioned for the two to continue. He had a feeling they'd be a while.

An hour later, the grim jonin was mentally editing his list of things to discuss with Naruto. He will wait a bit longer, he thought. The blond boy's getting a little more comfortable with the rest of the team. He no longer stuttered everything he said, and he had conversed with Ibiki at least once without looking like he was going to pass out. _No need to backtrack. Let the team solidify a bit more, and then I can talk to him about all this crap._ The jonin rubbed his eyes tiredly and stood up. He was a busy man, and T&I was really calling his name right about now.

Author's note at the end this time! I hope this chapter answered several people's questions about Naruto, his past treatment, and his current behavior. Naruto is starting to shed some of his fears, but some will cling to him for a long time, and in various ways. Another note, in the later part of this chapter, Ibiki is speaking with his two ANBU about Naruto leaving the orphanage. For the life of me, I couldn't remember how old he is (in this story) when that happened. I couldn't find it in my cursory search, and I don't have time right now to re-read big chunks of this story. If someone remembers, please tell me and I'll fix it. Hopefully, everyone likes this chapter, and it all makes sense to you. Thanks for reading. See you later!


	20. Chapter 19

Ibiki had to hand it to Anko, the woman could get so much more out of a prisoner in such a nice, short amount of time. Yes, some of their budget had to go to redoing the sound proofing on the entire building, but hey, it was worth it in the end. He stood on the other side of a large one way mirror. He'd shed his long coat and was left in his black outfit. He was working tonight, real work, and not just all the stupid paperwork. Anko was on the inside of the interrogation room. There was blood, and a few other, less mentionable bodily fluids speckled around the room. The purple haired woman was grinning over her victi- her subject.

He suspected that she would be enjoying the company of several new people soon. He'd have to speak to the Hokage before making arrests, but he had little doubt that they _would_ be making them. For the current prisoner, Anko would have to keep him alive until they were certain they had every scrap of information. Those who were involved in Naruto's situation may not be so lucky. For now, the purple haired woman was grinning over her victi- her subject. He was definitely terrified of her.

"So, you still don't know why someone hired you to sneak in here? Hmm, realllllly?" She was perched on the man's lap, a senbon in her hand, rhythmically tapping the space between his eyes. The man, a missing nin from Rain, was panting and shivering. Ibiki had been watching for nearly an hour, cataloguing each reaction, every flinch and twitch. It would be his turn soon.

"I -I -I d… _gah!_ know who… No one particular…" He rasped, staring at Anko with a vacant and unhinged look. Ibiki turned and left the observation room. He tapped the door to the interrogation room twice. Anko emerged moments later.

"So, boss, what do you think?" He hummed and lead the way back to his office.

"He is nervous of someone outside of Konoha. He knows something." He shot the bloody woman a quick look. "What did you think?" She shrugged.

"I think I'll go get some dongo. Let him stew a bit. There's some info there." Ibiki let her go without another word. She was a good fit for T&I, but everyone had their own way of dealing with their jobs. If Anko had to indulge in a dango obsession, and a string of one night stands, so be it. He on the other hand, would be using T&I as his way of dealing with his other job. Jonin-sensei really was too much work.

Naruto sat at home, exhausted and sore. He had showered quickly after he got back. His clothes were in the tiny washer in the bathroom and he had a small pot of herbal tea steeping. The 'tea' was mostly mint and lemongrass he had picked outside the village, but it soothed his nerves most of the time.

The doctor visit hadn't been nearly as bad as he had expected. Naruto was still embarrassed about asking his sensei to stay, but other than that, he had held out fairly well, all things considered. Iruka had talked to him about recognizing his progress, and he was trying his best to focus on those things, and not the miles still left to go. He was out of energy today though.

He needed a break. It would be sunday in two days. They would likely have a rest day then, and he was looking forward to it. He absently stirred his tea and picked up the large book on seals. He'd read over the others already and he wanted to get lost in _something_ other than his thoughts. It was common for him. He was eternally grateful to the Hokage for taking time to teach him to read, and to Iruka for helping him learn to understand bigger, more complex books. Without those two, he wouldn't have been able to learn as much as he had from his mysterious collection of scrolls and books. He picked up the large tome on sealing and flipped to the first page again.

"Calligraphy and base symbols… huh." He muttered. He studied the symbols and strokes closely. Then he got up and fetched a worn brush and a half empty pot of ink from his primary school days. A scrap of paper slowly began to fill with doodles and clumsy renderings of the base seals. Hours later, Naruto would run out of ink and drift off to sleep slumped over the table with the tome open next to him.

The next day, training went much the same, without any injuries this time. They were developing a routine. Shino and Shikamaru were worn out long before Naruto, but they frequently beat him in the pair spars. Ibiki, feeling much more settled after a nice evening of ahem, pg-13 activities at the office, spent much of their day putting the three genin through their paces. He was going to push them to the edge of their limits before backing off and focusing in on training. As with the other interactions the team had, Naruto was somewhat withdrawn and stuttered here and there.

There was improvement, and both clan heirs were more comfortable with their third teammate. Ibiki was becoming less and less intimidating to them as well. The normal day took a turn during their lunch break. Ibiki left them for half an hour.

The three boys had sat around the training ground and picked at their food. They were already exhausted. Shikamaru was almost asleep where he sat. Shino coughed, gathering up his nerve. He shifted closer to the other two.

"I would like to put forth an offer." He said formally. Shikamaru lazily blinked at him.

"Hmm?" He questioned. Naruto had looked up from his sandwich as well. Shino felt his hive buzz slightly, sensing their host's discomfort. The Aburame put on a calm facade regardless. It was practically a clan law to remain cool and detached in public after all.

"Tomorrow, it would be… our pleasure for my family to host a small dinner." He pushed up his dark glasses. "Why? Because eating together with my genin team is a good-" Naruto interrupted, shocking all three of them.

"So, you want me, and Shikamaru, to come to your house?" Shino blinked.

"Yes, logically, this should cause to issues with your schedules, as it is our team rest day, but if this does not accommodate your personal life-" Naruto interrupted again, looking confused, as he had the first day as a team.

"You want me to… Won't your parents mind having me there?" Shino didn't move, but his eyes met Shikamaru. The other boy had a wan look.

"It will be no inconvenience. The Aburame clan cares little for village politics." A subtle barb of anger entered his voice. "After all, logically, Aburame have more reason than most to ignore such things." Shikamaru understood the veiled anger at the attitude towards Aburame, and also Naruto. The blond however, just shrugged and blushed a bright pink.

"Er, well, that is nice. I mean, uh-umm. Sure." He turned around to hide the blush. "T-thanks, I-I'll be there." Shikamaru rolled back and stared up at the cloudless sky.

"Yeah, what time? My mom will throw a fit if I don't tell her where I'm going." Shino felt an odd sense of satisfaction. His plan for team bonding, and dare he hope- friendship- had been excepted. Naruto's doubt was worrying, but this meeting would also start on his idea to fix that as well. He continued eating steadily. They had training still.

"If you arrive around 5:30, it would be convenient. Why? Because supper will be served at 6." The talk died after that. There was a quiet acceptance that settled on the group. An unspoken agreement to further their connection had been made. Ibiki returned to find the training ground soon after, and they resumed his grueling practice drills.

Naruto once again found himself engrossed in his book on sealing. He was tired, two days in a row with Ibiki was making him wonder if the jonin understood their rank as genin. But, the ideas and symbols he'd read the night before had been swirling around in his head all day. He couldn't stop processing them, even when it cost him his sparring matches on occasion. The blond boy had no idea, but the pace he had going in the book was extraordinary. He had already read and understood almost a months worth of study.

That night, he blazed through another chapter, and delved into his other scrolls on the subject. He'd glanced and skimmed them years ago, but now, with the base from the new book, he re-read each one closely. It took him much longer than expected. It was past 1 o'clock by the time he put down the scroll he'd been studying, one on combining and layering matrixes, and crawled into bed.

Morning dawned over Konoha. Several important events were to occur that day, starting with a meeting between four people of great influence. Ibiki Morino, Shikaku Nara, Inoichi Yamanaka and Hiruzen Sarutobi congregated at the Hokage's personal office in his family estate. The room was sunny and filled with books and armchairs. It fit the image of the elderly Professor kage. The meeting being held was a bit of a last minute affair. After reading Ibiki's summary of his ANBU surveillance and investigation, Sarutobi had sent out a very quiet message to the three men summoning them. Shikaku had been the first to arrive, and had promptly taken up residence in a squashy armchair by the fireplace. Ibiki and Inoichi arrived at the same time. The Hokage perched behind the much smaller desk with a cup of suspiciously dark tea.

"You all know why I requested you?" The elder man solemnly asked. Inoichi answered.

"The Uzumaki boy."

"Yes. You have all observed him, and Ibiki has been _looking into_ his situation." All three jonin understood what 'looking into' was. Shikaku was please to know that both the new jonin sensei and the Hokage were seriously invested in the Uzumaki.

"What I have been informed of does not reflect well on the village." Ibiki intoned. Shikaku shrugged.

"I haven't been able to do much digging yet, to many stupid morons who think being a jonin gives the carte blanche to run amuck." His long-suffering sigh brought a smile to the lips of the village leader. "But," Shikaku sobered. "My son has started poking around. He came back that first day and said that Naruto was a mystery. Since then, he's spent a couple of afternoons in the family archives." His dark eyes were proud, and worried. "He is sharp, maybe even more so than me." The statement was calm, no pride or arrogance in it. The other men knew that it was a true statement. The Nara was jonin Commander for a reason. "Shika is likely to find out some things that… shall we say, ought not to be spoken." Insinuation was heavy. Ibiki nodded.

"Both Shikamaru and Shino have been paying close attention to Naruto, subtly. It wouldn't shock me to find out that they had worked out the truth somehow." Hiruzen sighed.

"Yes, both boys are quite intelligent, and it seems that Naruto is as well. I haven't had much interaction with him since he started the Academy. He has to be better at lying than I thought for me to have not noticed his behaviour." He sighed again. "I thought he would have thrived in the Academy. I miscalculated greatly." Inoichi frowned.

"What have you found out?" He was still trying to piece together a picture of the boy from the brief interaction they had during the graduation exam. Hiruzen waved a hand toward Ibiki.

"My people found a disturbing amount of slandering and vicious verbal abuse has and is going on. There are also instances of corporal punishment unfairly given and blatant attacks on his person and home." Inoichi nodded.

"That fits with the profile I came up with." Shikaku felt sick at the admission. He should have kept an eye on the boy, for _him_ if no other reason.

"How long?" Ibiki had a dark look that promised pain and misery on someone decorating his normally stoic face.

"At least six years, possibly longer."

"Damn it all!" Inoichi stood up to pace. "This is such a… a screw up!" Hiruzen motioned him back to his seat.  
"I need a drink for this conversation." He reached out and poured himself another cup of 'tea' and pushed the pot towards the others. "I have let the village council get away with many things over the years, but this is drawing the line. Punishment will be dealt." A dark aura crept over the 'God of Shinobi' and Ibiki grinned.

"I can guarantee you Anko will volunteer, along with several other ANBU." He offered, almost gleeful. Inoichi nodded.

"Some of the Yamanaka can be there to help profile and catalogue data." Shikaku just sighed.

"Good. Ibiki, have ANBU start to identify any possible ringleaders and have them brought in. Let me know when you have them. Inoichi, keep an ear out for anything else that can be used to add to this investigation. Shikaku, I want you to check through records and find out if any of the shinobi have taken part in this." A cold look flashed across his eyes. "If there are any, I want them removed from their ranks." Shikaku shrugged.

"It's gonna be a troublesome few weeks." They separated then, each off to their own tasks.

Naruto woke up with ink all over his face and a crick in his neck. Tables were definitely not on his list of recommended napping spots. He yawned and stretched before carefully tucking away his new books. He was going out today, and he would not risk anyone getting at his precious books.

The boy yawned again and meandered off to shower quickly and went to dress in one of his now frequently worn 'normal' outfits. _I really should just get rid of those orange jumpsuits. Ibiki would never let me wear them, and I don't really want to be that way._ Naruto fingered the worn sleeve of the nearest orange outfit. He had to get rid of them at some point. They were nearly to small as it was. He sighed and pulled them out of his closet and stacked them up on the floor.

"I guess no one will have to see 'that orange abomination' again. Huh, wonder if anyone will be pleased." He muttered somewhat morosely. He looked at his closet. He'd never had much, but now there were only three sets of clothes left. At some point, he'd need more.

Ninja's clothes didn't last all that long, sturdy though they were. Dirt, blood and who knows what kind of damage from jutsu and sparring did them in much more quickly than a civilians'. Money was going to be an issue, along with shops that would sell to him.

Naruto shrugged off the negative thoughts and memories with some effort and just pulled on a blue long sleeved shirt and brown cargo pants. He taped the ankles to his legs and put on a sleeveless vest with a hood. Iruka had encouraged him to try shopping using a henge. He'd tried at one point, but at the time he couldn't hold the jutsu steady and was found out. _That_ encounter with angry shopkeepers had made him to weary to try again.

It would have to be time to attempt it though. He had used up all his ink, and to use real seals, he would need both chakra paper and ink. Neither thing could be replaced with a more common, household variety. The blond whiskered boy was just going to have to get some.

Out in the village, there were many people coming and going. It was Sunday, and the working class villagers were taking advantage of the weekend to spend the day out. Naruto was henge-ed to look like a pale young man a few years older than he was, with grey-green eyes and dusty blonde hair reminiscent of the Yamanaka clan. He was wearing his hitai-ate and a utility pouch on his belt. He had his money, saved from who know how long ago.

He had quite a bit of ryo saved, but he had no idea what he would have to pay for all his supplies. New kunai, a pack on senbon, a sharpening stone and the sealing materials were immediate needs. Clothes and some food would be nice if he could swing it. He had so far gone unnoticed, a huge relief after the week he'd had. The shops that sold ninja gear were clustered together, near a gym and a few restaurants. The first place he stopped in had the sharpening stone, but their kunai and senbon were… lacking. The boy was disgusted to find that student quality weapons were a fraction of the price he'd been forced to pay for them. He'd just grumbled and moved on to another store. Both the other weapons he found easily in a larger store. He failed to locate any sealing materials though. He hesitantly asked the clerk at the counter.

"Ha? Chakra paper? Kid, I dunno where you think you'll get that stuff. Nobody around here has practiced sealing seriously since the Fourth died. Jiraiya-sama, of the Sannin, still practices it, but he hasn't been back in the villages in years. Hatake-san may also, but really kid- there's no chance of anyone else being half as good as those two." Naruto had frowned through his rant. _Does this guy mean it? Sealing isn't common, I guessed that. But really, only two good practitioners in the last fifty years? It can't be that hard._ He just shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

Author's note: Hey, all! Sorry for the abrupt end to this chapter. I had to cut this scene off right in the middle. This chapter was really quick, I got it all done in a couple of hours. Some stuff is finally starting to take off. Naruto and company are in for a trip. See you in two weeks!


	21. Chapter 20

Hello, sorry I updated late! I totally spaced that yesterday was Monday. Opps! I put extra in this chapter, so hopefully that makes up for the lateness. This chapter will also touch on a few things some reviewers have asked about. Enjoy!

He checked four other shops before finding an out of the way store that had a far more eclectic collection of merchandise. The owner, an old woman missing one eye, had just grunted and pointed when he asked for chakra paper. Naruto had been unnerved by her cloudy remaining eye and scampered off with a quick bow. He walked passed katana and daisho sets carefully polished. Uniquely shaped kunai lined one of the walls, large fuma shuriken were stacked on top of a box.

He found a dusty box labeled Seal Paper right next to a well of shimmery black ink that couldn't be anything but sealing ink. He picked up two vials of ink and the largest box of paper, nervously noting that nothing had prices. _God, I hope this isn't going to cost me too much. I might be able to get some clothes with what I saved at the other shops. This lady gives me the creeps though._ Still, he carried his find up to the counter.

"Uh, ma'am?" The woman was no longer behind the tiny counter.

"You found it then?" A reedy voice made him jump. _Crap! This place needs more lights. It isn't funny to have a 'house of horrors' vibe!_ He found the woman standing in a doorway that must have lead to a back room of some kind. She was holding a paper wrapped package about as long as her bony forearm. She hobbled out to stand behind the counter again. Naruto cleared his throat and nodded.

"Ah, y-yes. The th-e paper and some ink too." He set them up on the counter. The woman eyed the items and then pushed some levers on the old cash register.

"Fine, that'll be seven hundred ryo." Naruto felt a wave of relief. That was well within his budget. It still cut a gouge in his wallet, but it wasn't the fortune he expected.

"M'kay." He started digging out the required coins. The woman laughed.

"It's been near ten year now that I last sold this stuff. The brat that came in here bought up so much of this stuff…" She trailed off. "The Hokage even came in here on his lunch breaks to get more. Brat thought that he could charm me into lowering the price." She barked out a laugh. "Didn't work though." Naruto was intrigued. For such an odd, tiny store, he wouldn't have thought that the Hokage would have shopped here. He handed over the coins and the woman deposited them in the register. He reached out to gather up his purchases when she smacked his hands out of the way.

"Hold yer horses boy. No customer of mine will walk out without their crap wrapped up proper." Naruto just blinked his henge-ed eyes and shrugged.

"E-er ok?" The shopkeeper dug out sturdy brown paper and easily cut a sheet of it. His box of paper was set in the middle, then the vials of ink were wrapped and set on top. Then the paper went over all three things, secured by packing tape. The woman pushed the wrapped package across the counter, but kept her hand on top.

"You, you know I can see through genjutsu and the like, brat." She commented casually, her voice still thin and aged. Naruto felt like his blood froze and burned at the same time. He backed up a step, feeling his pack of senbon tucked against his thigh under his pants. It was his emergency stash, his comfort. _She's an old woman, I can't hurt her! But- but what if she comes after me. I mean, looking at this shop and her, she has to be some kind of fighter…_

"I don't give a rip about them idiots out there." She jerked her chin towards the front of the shop and its windows. "In my shop, so long as you pay yer bill, I could care less who you are." She shoved the parsel closer to him. Naruto saged with relief.

"Thank you so much-" The woman huffed and tossed the long thin package at him. The boy caught it easily. He looked down at it and then back up at the woman.

"Umm?"

"You take that crap with you too. Some nutjob ordered it and never came to pick it up. I can't have it crowdin' my shelves." Naruto was feeling decidedly unbalanced. _The hell is her deal? I guess she doesn't mean me harm, but what is she doing? Throwing stuff at me and insisting on wrapping everything up. And why doesn't she just resell it if someone didn't pick up their order?_ He fingered the old package.

"Uh, so sh-should I pay you for-" The woman waved away his question.

"The moron payed for it. Get it outta my shop. It's been collecting dust for years. I want it gone." Naruto just shrugged and picked up his own purchases. He bowed shortly and scurried out of the shop. He was eager to go home now. Clothes could wait for another day. He'd had enough of people for today. Iruka-sensei had told him to make sure to take time to rest when his team wasn't working. He had to go back out to meet with Shino and Shikamaru for dinner, so he would be holing up in his apartment for the rest of the morning and early afternoon.

After he'd gotten back home, Naruto had dropped the henge. The relief from a constant struggle to hold the jutsu was enough for him to almost wish for a quick nap. The draw of his new supplies and trying out a seal for the first time overrode his tiredness. He carefully opened up the box of sealing paper and lifted out one of the thin slips of paper. It was almost translucent, but it felt tough, almost like fabric. The ink was left closed for right now.

He was also curious about the extra package the old woman had literally thrown at him. It wasn't a heavy package. The brown paper was lighter than the kind on his things. It was slightly dusty. The blond pulled old cracked tape off and unrolled the paper. He was pleasantly surprised to find a set of five calligraphy brushes of various types. They were in pristine condition. The bristle were smooth and maintained their shape well.

He could hardly believe his luck. _That lady must have known what this was. Why wouldn't she make me pay for them? Obviously I am doing sealing, what with the ink and paper. I owe her, I guess._ He found himself smiling slightly. Who knew that he could become fond of a strange old woman who scared him so quickly. He hoped he wasn't reading to much into the situation, but he couldn't help but feel like she'd been looking out for him by giving him the brushes. He set aside the larger ones, and held up a small-ish brush. It had a smooth, lacquered handle in a deep teal colour. He loved it instantly.

He dug out his sealing book from its hiding place. The book was propped up on the low table and opened to the page with starting seals. Naruto examined the symbols carefully before taking a deep breath and set a single slip of chakra paper on the table. He dipped the brush into the inkwell and started. The characters flowed from his memory on to the paper and then he blew gently on it to make sure the ink was dry. The boy had no idea how enthralled his expression was. He reached out and put a single finger on the paper and pulsed a small amount of chakra to activate the seal.

He could feel the pull of the seal instantly. There was a hint of a glow to the simple seal and then a puff of grey smoke appeared. Naruto grinned and sat back on his heels. _It worked! I got it, first try. There is so much I can do. I can hardly wait to get farther in the book._ When looking back, later, he would be able to say, with certainty, that this moment was one of the most influential in his life.

It was five and Naruto was panicking. He had spent hours after his first success testing all kinds of simple seals. Most of them had only two or three symbols to connect and were quick to draw. He didn't feel quite up to attempting the harder ones yet. He had overpowered or failed several seals already, but they weren't volatile enough to be dangerous at this point. That was not the source of his returned anxiety. He had glanced up at the repaired wall clock, and it had reminded him of his acceptance of Shino's offer the previous day. He had bit his lip and set aside his work. _What was I thinking!? I can't go to his house… I just- I can't do it._ He was pacing by now, unconsciously rubbing at the scar-like marks on his face and picking at the hidden pack on senbon he always carried. His nervous tick was the least of his problems. _Iruka said to try and give the team a chance. I haven't had reason to doubt them yet. Ibiki is even less scary than before… Those two never went after me either. I can do it. I can! But what if…_ His pacing picked up in speed as he fought with himself. He glanced up at the clock again. 5:13. He was out of time. If he didn't go soon, he would be late. Cursing and trying to shove the panic away, the boy changed clothes in to a less obviously ninja outfit. Tan pants and a blue t-shirt with a lightweight jacket and only a couple of pouches on his belt. He left the hitai-ate on, and quickly strapped on his sandals. 5:20, time to go. He made sure all his things were hidden away, and left via the window. A quick trap to keep people out, and he took off through the maze of rooftops. He knew, from his many pranks during his Academy, where each of the clan compounds were.

The Aburame clan was fairly close, tucked away from main roads in the trees. He went from the roofs to trees for a bit before dropping down and walking along the dirt path. He was walking quickly, still feeling unsure and afraid of what would happen once he got to the clan compound. He was almost startled to find Shikamaru walking, more like ambling around a slight bend in the path. The other boy nodded at him, but said nothing. Naruto was able to soothe his nerves once he saw the normal actions of his teammate. They walked along in a companionable silence.

Earlier that morning, the third significant event had begun very normally, as things of this nature so often do. Shikamaru Nara, in true Nara fashion, had slept in. It was a rest day, and he saw no reason to get up early. His mother, Yoshino had literally thrown him out of bed at half past eight. He had grunted and rolled away, instincts momentarily taking over. He had a kunai out and was prep-ing a jutsu to capture his assailant when his mother had clucked at him.

"Tch, Shikamaru, you can't start making bad habits. You should do something useful today." She had huffed and walked back out mumbling about lazy men and something to do with honey and ants. Shikamaru had no interest in finding out more, so he yawned and got dressed for his day. He did have something to work on today. Half an hour later, a plate of filled onigiri in hand, the boy took up a spot in the family archives again. There were things to find out, he was sure.

The volume he pulled down from the shelf was an older one this time. It had been written by a great-great uncle of his during the reign on the first Hokage.

" _The Hokage has been spending more and more time with his wife working on a mysterious project. I don't know what it is yet. The pair of them, Hashirama as loud and lively as always, and Mito gentle and refined, have been spending a large portion of their free time studying the Uzumaki clan scrolls that Lady Mito brought with her."_ Shikamaru eagerly flipped the page. Uzumaki clan, Mito. That was something. He knew that the First Hokage had married a woman named Mito, but he hadn't known that she was from a clan, the _Uzumaki_ clan at that. He would have to look up more information on her, to see if there was any connection to Naruto. He read on.

" _The village has also had a few too many scares with the Jinchuriki. The villages that have one have always kept them close, but lately there have been more and more reports of them getting out and causing problems. Lady Mito and the Hokage have of course done their best to deal with this. Their personal project is still unknown to me at this time._

 _The chunin exams are planned for the upcoming spring. There will be forty genin-"_ Shikamaru huffed. Of course the damn thing would leave him hanging there. He flipped through the rest of the volume. There was nothing else significant. A few tidbits caught his eye, but nothing pertaining to his search.

"Jinchuriki huh, another thing to research." He stretched and got up to replace the book. He decided a visit to the shinobi library was in order. He could find more variety there. His snack finished, and waving to his mother on the way out, Shikamaru wandered his way into the village. He went largely unnoticed all the way to the library. The building was cool and quiet. He noted a chunin walking around in a section of scrolls. Other than the librarian, they were the only two people there. The Nara boy made his way to a section on clans.

 _Uchiha, Uchiha, Uchiha, geez… Aburame, Akimichi, Senju. There's no Uzumaki clan. Damn. I was hoping to find something more here._ He huffed and moved on to finding information on the Fourth Hokage. There was something bothering him about the passage his father had written about him, and some woman named Kushina. He didn't know if the two people were connected in any way, but there was something off about it.

 _Hokage, alright. The first, lots about him. Second, third, more third, ah there is the fourth._ He flipped the thick book open and skimmed the first few pages. _Ah, this could be good._ Shikamaru quietly slipped off to a shadowed corner to read, going unnoticed for several hours.

The sunlight was bright, compared to the dim lights in the library. Shikamaru had gotten so caught up in research, piecing together little bits of information into something of a whole that he had ignored the time completely. It was past noon, and he was starving. He sighed and ambled down the street. His mind was running rampant with questions and observations. He was so close, but to what? He couldn't say.

There was so much about the Fourth that just didn't add up. The pictures of him were shockingly familier, both to the mountain side where his visage was carved, and to the face of their blond teammate. There was no information to be found on anyone named Uzumaki. Kushina was also nowhere to be found. But the Fourth, there was so much to know and find about him, yet critical bits and pieces seemed to be missing.

His wide renown had of course skyrocketed during the third shinobi war. His desolation of Iwa forces was something that still affected both villages to this day. His Flying Thunder God jutsu was also a hugely notable thing. His untimely death at the hands of the Kyuubi was the last truly significant thing Shikamaru had found. That was where the inconsistencies started becoming obvious. The Hokage had made a will, but it had been sealed by the Third before it could be read. His home and bank account were also sealed. There was brief mention of Minato Namikaze having a girlfriend shortly before he took up office, but no further mention of this supposed woman could be found.

The only member of his genin team still living was 'Sharingan no Kakashi' the last of the Hatake clan. Shikamaru knew of the man, few didn't in Konoha. The only other people who he knew had a personal connection to the Fourth were his father, Jiraiya of the Sannin, and the Third Hokage. He didn't know how much he could inquire form his father. There was distinct signs of a cover-up of some kind. There were too many things 'conveniently' left out or missing for Shikamaru to no notice.

Shikamaru knew that there were many things best left buried in the past. What this one of them though? He had sought this information for Naruto. Could he- _should_ he just give up and left sleeping giants lie?

He huffed.

"Why does my team have to be so troublesome? This is such a drag…"

"Hey! Shika!" The boy turned at the call. Choji Akimichi was grinning at him, waving. Shikamaru smiled and walked over to join his friend.

"Hey. What have you been up to?" The Nara asked, falling into step easily. Choji gave him a wan smile.

"Well, I have been dealing with me team. I know it's only been a few days, since we graduated and all that, but it seems like a lifetime. I fondly recall our days spent could watching and eating snacks." Shikamaru had to laugh at that.

"Ah, yeah. Just you, me and the clouds… Man that does seem like a long time ago now." The two boys shuffled along, Choji sharing his bag of chips as they walked.

"So, how has your team been?" Shikamaru hadn't known what to think of Choji's team. He had no idea who 'Haku' was, and Sasuke Uchiha was somewhat unbearable. Kurenai was a newer jonin, pretty capable from what little he knew. The Nara was a bit ashamed to realize he hadn't spent much time considering his best friend. The chaos that was his own team had monopolized his thoughts and energies. Ibiki was a hard taskmaster. Choji only shrugged though.

"It's… coming along. Haku is nice, he's from outside Konoha. A bit of a quiet guy, but he's good and he might turn out to be a good friend. He hasn't teased me at all." Shikamaru was glad of that.

"Good. I guess Ino-Shika-Cho wasn't to be this time around. But, I'm glad at least one of your team is turning out well." Choji heard the unspoken question.

"Sasuke… he's, well he is something." Shikamaru knew that in Choji speak, that meant that Sasuke was an utter pratt. The pair stopped at sat in a quiet park shaded with large silver maple trees. Shikamaru lay down in the grass and Choji sat beside him. He sighed and closed his eyes, listening to his friend munch away beside him.

"How about Kurenai-san?" Choji paused.

"She's different. Most of our teachers have been men, and so that makes things a bit different. Yuhi-san is great though. She's been really good with working with each of our strengths. Haku isn't that good at working with more than one person, so she has us do unit drills and stuff. I've gotten a bit faster, using some weights to train. Sasuke is sulky and withdrawn, but he doesn't criticize the rest of us too much. I think his brother got mad at him a while back and got him in trouble." Shikamaru hummed.

"Good. That one was always a bit… Nevermind." He knew Choji was intensely loyal, and didn't like to criticize anyone. His new team would fall under his 'friends' category. Choji flopped back on to the grass and folded his arms behind his head.

"What about you? I was pretty shocked with your team. Ibiki-san is freaky. I didn't have a clue Naruto was that good either." The Nara shrugged, yawning.

"Haaa… Well it isn't what I expected. I had resigned myself to the Ino-Shika-Cho group. I never thought Dad and Inoichi-san would change things up themselves. I mean, they raised the three of us like siblings almost." Choji laughed.

"Yeah, but Ino will probably do better with Hinata and Kiba. The three of them balance out better that the three of us do." Shikamaru nodded and sat up.

"True. My team… Where to begin? Ibiki is… both intimidating, and very… I don't know, earnest I guess." He quickly continued when Choji gave him a confused look. "He had this whole 'cross me and die' thing going on during the exam, and the first day after, but then after listening to him, he sounds a lot like Iruka-sensei sometimes. He really encourages teamwork, and building our skills." Choji was dubious.

"If you say so. I don't think I could handle him as my teacher." They sat together in silence for a few minutes. Shikamaru broke the respite.

"Shino and Naruto are different. They are both really quiet, even though Naruto was often so loud in class. Shino just has this observant air about him though. Like he keeps to himself, but not because he doesn't like attention. He's just quiet and methodical." Choji nodded.

"Yeah, about how I thought he was."

"Naruto though. He's an oddball. I don't really get him. It's such a drag, trying to figure him out. During the Academy, he was all loud and getting in trouble all the time, but now it's like he is afraid to make one wrong move. He's great at some things, and sucks at others." He sighed. "He can hardly talk to anyone without stuttering." Choji frowned and put away his chips.

"That's odd. I guess, maybe he was trying to distract people, or trying not to be shy?" Shikamaru hid a grin. He could forget, at times, how astute Choji could be. The rotund boy didn't let on about how capable he was.

"Yeah, I think it's something like that. I don't mind him. I just wish I could help." Choji patted him on the head. Shikamaru playfully slapped at his hands.

"Oi, you're not my mom." Choji laughed. It was an old argument they had routinely.

"Yes, but you know you don't mind so much. I have to get going. I'm making dinner with Mom and Cousin Gensui tonight. I'm glad we got to talk." Shikamaru stood up with a groan. The break had been nice. He'd been mulling over his finds while he talked, in the way he often did. A few solid theories had formed, and as a plus, he got to spend time with his best friend.

"Yeah. I have somewhere to be later too. I'll see you around. If you see Ino, tell her I said hi." He waved and headed off home.


	22. Chapter 21

This is a bit late, but I'm rushing off on a spring break trip. I had my first midterms and first class presentation in the same week, so I didn't get as much written as I'd like. I bet there are some mistakes,(sorry!) but I can't edit this for a few days, and I would hate to make you all wait that long. Please enjoy!

That evening, Shikamaru was well rested and ready to go. His mother had nagged him for napping, but he'd ignored her as only Nara men could. Now, he was wandering down the tree shaded path to the Aburame clan lands. There was no one else in sight, the Aburame not being a popular clan. A soft set of footfalls behind him had the Nara heir turning.

Around the bend came Naruto, looking a bit pale and anxious. Shikamaru gave him a slight nod and kept walking. It didn't look like the other boy would appreciate being questioned right then. A few paces later, the blond had relaxed and they kept on in a quiet peace.

Shino had been uncharacteristically anxious and fidgety for the past twenty minutes. His mother had brushed a hand through his short hair as she walked by. The boy had frowned and shifted in his seat. He supposed this was normal? Friends were anxious to see one another, correct? _Logically, I am only showing mild signs of impatience, nothing more. Why? Because I am accustomed to entertaining guests. Yes, clearly that is the only issue here._ He huffed and got up. He could work on… something for a while before Naruto and Shikamaru arrived. Almost as soon as he stood, a soft knock sounded at the front door. He walked over and slid the shoji door open. Naruto stepped away and flushed slightly.

"Uh, hey." He mumbled. Shikamaru was standing just to his left, looking bored as ever. Shino bowed slightly.

"Welcome. Please come in." The other two boys stepped up on to the smooth hardwood floor. They kept their sandals on. No self aware shinobi left their shoes off when out in public. There was always a chance of needing to move quickly. As the Aburame clan was primarily a ninja clan, their clan compound and the homes it held reflected a slightly different style to that of civilians. The hardwood was one such difference. Naruto, who had never had the opportunity to see a clan house, looked around cautiously, and curiously. He'd read a history of some of Konoha's clans once. The walls were bamboo, wood and thin rice paper. On the left side of the short hallway, a scroll covered in graceful kanji was hung. Further down he could see a pastel painting of a sunset with cranes flying over a river. A woman poked her head around a partially open door. She was lightly tan, dark haired with sharp brown eyes. She wore a yukata, but Naruto could see the telltale pouch of weapons tucked in one sleeve.

"Shino, you must bring your team in to the kitchen. Dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes." Shino was a bit off-kilter now. He silently beckoned the other two boys farther in to the house. This was not quite how he planned the evening to go. _What happened to spending time talking before we eat!? Logically, it would put us all at ease more so than attempting to share a meal._ He tried to ignore his own discomfort as he sat the others around the low table. Naruto was staring at his lap determinedly. Shikamaru sat next to him and nudged his shoulder.

"Hey, so… what have you been up to today?" Naruto blinked, and visibly drew himself up. He could do this, it was just his team. He'd been invited. The two brunette boys waited patiently.

"I-uh. I went shopping, and- and after that I just read a book…" He didn't mention the seals, feeling odd about mentioning such an unusual art. Shino nodded.

"I spent most of my day around the house." He was still discomfited, but he could make the changes in his plan work. Before Shikamaru had a chance to offer his own doings, Shibi Aburame walked in. Naruto froze while the man took stock of the three children.

"Welcome." Was all he offered before sitting down at the head of the table. Naruto reminded himself to breathe and left the moment pass. Soon, there was a bit of a blur of dishes, food and slight shuffling of position. For a few minutes, only the sound of dishes being moved could be heard. Naruto was picking at his food. He wasn't used to such formal place settings and he didn't want to make a mistake. He watched the others before he even started to eat. Shikamaru broke the silence first.

"Thanks for inviting us." He nodded slightly to Shino and then his parents. Shino smiled slightly.

"It is good… to have friends close." Naruto glanced up.

"F-friends?" He immediately wanted to curse himself. Everyone was looking at him now. Shino bowed his head slightly, recalling his determination to help the blond in whatever ways he could. He looked back up and met his eyes.

"Yes, we spend most of our time together, and we will be placed in danger together. We are friends, or will be soon." Shibi smiled at his son. The two other boys were quiet for a long moment. Naruto was floored by the statement, made with no doubt whatsoever. He felt something then, rising up. He couldn't have put a name to it, but he nodded, meeting the Aburame heir's gaze evenly. Shikamaru broke the moment.

"Ma… This means that we will hang around outside of training and missions too. I always get complaints from mom about sleeping too much, so this will be good." He chuckled and gained a small smile from the others.

The rest of the meal passed with small talk and quiet conversation. The mood was calm and restful. Naruto basked tentatively in the atmosphere of the home. He had almost expected to be thrown out, but after a while, he relaxed and enjoyed the food. He found himself in the odd position of feeling like an outsider observing foreign customs. He'd never been around a family like this. He'd watched a few academy students share meals with classmates or siblings a few times. This was different.

Shino's mother, Anera had insisted on him having seconds, and thirds before she was satisfied with him. He'd blushed, but thankfully eaten. Shibi had been very quiet, much like Shino was. The comments he did make were not at all threatening. Shino had been much more open and talkative than he ever had been. Shikamaru also seemed to be more comfortable. This was what a family dinner was like? He supposed so.

Naruto had not understood some of the questions asked of him during the meal, like when Anera had asked when he had last had his hair cut. He had shrugged and mumbled something about trimming it with his kunai. The look he'd gotten was a mix of confusions and understanding. After he mentioned that he cooked for himself, she'd started insisting that he eat more. What his hair and cooking had to do with anything was anyone's' guess. He didn't understand women very well though, so maybe it was just that.

Now, the dishes had been cleared and the three boys shooed out of the house by Anera. Shino lead them to a moderate sized outdoor dojo. A low covered walkway with shoji doors opened to a square of plush trimmed grass. The three sat on the walkway. Shikamaru leaned back to watch the sky.

"T-thanks… again for uh for having me." Naruto mumbled. Shino just nodded.

"I had hoped, now that we have eaten, that we could work on a few things. Why? Because we are all here and we have resources to use here. Logically, we could all benefit from each other's knowledge." Shino pushed up his glasses and sat back, having said his peace. Naruto fidgeted, but Shikamaru sat back up and answered before he could.

"That would be good. We'd talked about our strengths and such before, and we could help with what we're good at." Naruto knew it made sense, he just didn't want his failings made even more obvious.

During their team training, he was corrected more often than the other two, simply because he had more faults, especially in tai-jutsu. He gave his assent quietly. He didn't think that he would be made fun of, neither of the clan heirs had shown any propensity for mockery. It just made him uncomfortable, exposing his weaknesses to someone else like that. Shino thought for a moment.

"When we discussed ourselves the other day, Naruto mentioned struggling with jutsu. I have access to the library here. I can fetch a few scrolls about chakra balance and we could all work on it." He offered. Naruto was a bit surprised to find that the other boy remembered their conversation from their first day. It seemed almost like a lifetime ago to him.

"T-that might be a good idea. Ibiki-s-sensei was going to have us wo-work on that when I… uh got hurt." Shino stood up.

"I will return shortly."

He was back in less than five minutes with two scrolls. He gestured for them to leave the dojo and head more towards the trees. A small spring fed pond with a bench was nestled in by a few larger trees. They stopped by the pond and sat. Shino spread out both scrolls on the bench and they crowded around. They all read in silence. Shikamaru tapped a finger against his chin in thought.

"I think," He started, still mulling over his idea. "That we should leave treewalking for later." He tapped the larger scroll. "This leaf thing is less destructive and we can move on to pebbles or coins once we get leaves down." Naruto was glad for this idea and he hopped up to pluck a large handful of leaves for them all to practice with.

The three sat quietly each with a leaf. Shino had gotten his to stick for a few seconds before his chakra wobbled and it fell. Shikamaru had yet to get his to stick, and Naruto had three burned leaves already.

Ten minutes later, Shino had scorched a leaf and Shikamaru had gotten his to stick. Both boys were sweating lightly from the strain of focusing their chakra and attempting to regulate it. Naruto had a pile of burned and smoldering leaves and a red spot on his forehead. The longest he'd gotten one to stick was ten seconds before they burst into flame. He growled and snuffed out the latest flame before he knelt up to re-read the scroll for the third time. There had to be some reason he failed so spectacularly. Some critical step must have evaded his notice twice already. Shino paused in his concentration to try to help.

"I believe that those with larger amounts of chakra are often unable to easily utilize small portions of chakra. Clone jutsu, henge and treewalking are the most common things that are challenging." Naruto groaned. Those three things were on his list of 'things he couldn't do that everyone else could'.

"Great. I am crap at all three of those." Shikamaru had put down his leaf too. He leaned forward to look over the scrolls again.

"How did you pass the exam then? The clone jutsu is required…" Naruto flushed now. He had mentioned the shadow clone jutsu before, but not in depth.

"Uh, well. I-I guess the version I learned is normally harder to use. I got it no problem but… Uh, I have been told that it's an advanced technique." Shino cocked his head to one side.

"Indeed? Logically, if one cannot master an easier skill, the more difficult ones are not performed. Would you demonstrate?" Naruto shrugged and stood up.  
"I guess. It makes… A lot of clones though." He placed his hands in the required seal and released a burst of chakra.

"Shadow clone jutsu!" A cloud of smoke puffed out of nowhere, obscuring the clearing briefly. When the smoke cleared, there stood fifteen copies of Naruto. Shino blinked. Out of curiosity, he brought out a handful of his kikaichu. The insects buzzed around, testing the clones chakra. Shikamaru had sat up with wide eyes.

"Man, that's something else!" Naruto scratched at his hair.

"Y-you think so?"

"There are fifteen, _fifteen_ clones. You know it's normal to make two to four right? This is… definitely no genin jutsu."


	23. Chapter 22

Woo-hoo! Another chapter. Midterms are done, spring break was great, and I got to write a whole bunch. (Disclaimer, because I forget most of the time, I don't own or make a profit from Naruto.)

Last _time,_

 _Shikamaru had sat up with wide eyes._

 _"_ _Man, that's something else!" Naruto scratched at his hair._

 _"_ _Y-you think so?"_

 _"_ _There are fifteen, fifteen clones. You know it's normal to make two to four right? This is… definitely no genin jutsu."_

Naruto flushed and kicked at the grass.

"Do you- There is so much…" Uncharacteristically, Shino was choked up and wide eyed. His kikai were buzzing languidly around him, satisfied from only the ambient chakra now in the air. Shikamaru shot a questioning glance at him. Shino sat down hard and blinked at the clones standing motionlessly.

"Each clone has the same amount of chakra divided between them. And they have more than some people I've been around." Naruto cancelled the jutsu and all the clones vanished with a pop. Shikamaru was still sitting rigidly.

"So, that means Naruto has more chakra than fifteen people, if each clone was evenly endowed with it. That… that's something." Naruto was unsure what to do now. He hadn't ever thought about why he couldn't do some jutsu, but if he was just overdoing them, maybe it wasn't as hopeless of a situation. He did wonder what the other two would think of him having more power than them. Before he could get to anxious, he was already fidgeting with his senbon, Shikamaru's eyes lit up.

"There are so many things we can try! I know of all kinds of jutsu that are out of normal reach. And if we could find other ways to harness it, you could even work towards creating new jutsu!" Shino nodded.

"Indeed, my colony can feed off just the ambient energy and that will enable me to conserve my own chakra, at least to a point. This will be a great benefit to us all." A prickled of that same unnamed emotion rose up in Naruto.

"I- uh, I guess I'll just have to try something else to work on control though. I'll burn to many leaves at this rate." He chuckled, trying to move the mood back into something he was more comfortable with. Shino nodded.

"I have been told that pebbles or coins can also be substituted in this training exercise. That may prove more beneficial for you. Why? Because stone and metal are much less flammable." Naruto was thinking now, an idea having popped into his head suddenly.

"Actually," He started, picking at his senbon more, "I have an idea." Both brunettes waited patiently. Naruto had been coming out of his shell all evening, and they weren't going to push him now. Naruto kept going.

"I recently started learning some new techniques, and one of the mentioned that it could store chakra for a short period of time." Shikamaru frowned, racking his brain for any such jutsu. He found none in his memory. _Strange, why would Naruto know an obscure jutsu? I am missing so much. I'll have to step up my research. It's driving me nuts._ Naruto had made himself stop fidgeting.

"I could try using it to make my chakra levels more manageable." Shino, who was still giving off a slight buzzing sound from his hive, sat back down with them.

"What jutsu is this?"

"Ah, well it's not exactly a jutsu." Naruto pulled out a few strips of his chakra paper and set them on the bench next to the scrolls. Shikamaru frowned.

"What are those?" Naruto set one of the brushes down as well.

"Ah, well… It's chakra paper, y'know, for seals and stuff." Shikamaru could not keep the incredulous look off his face.

"Sealing?" Naruto was focusing on the paper, recalling the exact formation of the seal, and didn't see the look.

"Yup. I found a book on it a few days ago, been reading it in my spare time." Shikamaru didn't know whether he should say anything to the boy or not. He couldn't let him cause himself damage, but he didn't want to hurt him either. Naruto had started drawing the seal, smoothly and with no error. Shikamaru could tell he was very practiced, just from the movements. Shino was just looking on calmly. Naruto finished the elaborate network of symbols in less than a minute. Shikamaru wasn't sure what to make of the obvious mastery in conjunction with Naruto's professed novice level. Naruto sat back and let the ink dry.

"I might move it." He picked up the paper and set it on the grass a few feet away. "Just in case it blows up on me." He answered the silent question. "I haven't actually tried this one yet." Shikamaru bit his lip and watched as Naruto touched the seal.

"Fuuin!" The seal glowed, and Naruto shuddered. His hand was still on the paper. After a few more seconds, he moved his hand. The ink on the seal was still glowing. Shino leaned over to look closely at it.

"You have very neat penmanship. This does not look to be the work of a beginner." Naruto shrugged.

"I made my first seal earlier today. It worked pretty well after the first couple of tries." Shikamaru coughed to hide his incredulous gasp. He believed the blond, he doubted Naruto could have hidden this skill from Ibiki. It did make him wonder just what the blond boy was capable of though.

"Great. Do you think it stored enough of your chakra to help?" Naruto shrugged.

"I just pumped chakra in it 'till it wouldn't hold any more. I can't really tell how much it took, so I guess I'll just have to try the leaf thing again." Shino stood and scuffed his shoe over the ground near the pond. He came back with a few flat-ish pebbles.

"Here. These may be better than the leaves." Naruto nodded and picked one. Shikamaru sat and picked up his own leaf and started again.

Two hours later, the three stood up to return to the house. Naruto had made some minor progress with the pebble, and both the others had been able to stick their leaves to their skin for around ten minutes tops. Naruto wasn't as discouraged as the heirs expected with such minor progress made.

"Most of what I do goes that way. I learned to take what I can get." He'd said when asked about it. Inside, Shino asked them to wait outside a dark room. He reappeared with a few more scrolls.  
"These have more chakra drills." He handed two to Shikamaru and one larger one to Naruto. "Those," He pointed to Shikamaru's. "Have drills and such to increase stamina and chakra reserves. Naruto's has more for chakra control and balance." Shikamaru nodded once. Naruto fingered the scroll.

"Ah, are you sure it's ok for … us to take these?" Shino heard the 'me' in that sentence.

"It is fine. Why? Because you are my team, ninja of Konoha and sharing information is helpful. They aren't family jutsu or anything of the sort." The Aburame boy wouldn't let Naruto put himself down.

"O-ok. If you are sure." Shino just nodded and lead them back to the front door.

"I suggest that we meet up on our off days and after team training to work on our own." Naruto frowned.

"What about Ibiki-sensei?" Shikamaru grinned, a hint of mischief in his expression.

"I wonder how long it would take him to notice. Also, we have specific goals and such we wanted to focus on. Ibiki-san can't exactly do that during our regular training." The other two nodded, not realizing that they all shared the same thought. _What if he were to tell us to stop?_

"Yeah, I guess it wouldn't hurt anything to keep training on our own." Naruto muttered. Shino nodded.

"Right, then we will start tomorrow. I'll bring a snack to share so we can stay out longer." They parted ways, each with their own thoughts about the night.

Naruto returned to his apartment that night with a lighter mood than he'd had in months. Something about the evening with his team had loosened the hold his anxiety had on him. He expertly got passed the traps set around the door and flopped on the couch with an arm over his eyes.

"Ha, damn. That was something." He muttered. _It went, I don't even know. Nothing happened like I thought it would. No one said anything about my manners, and we just, I guess we hung out? Shino's parents were great. Our extra training will be good. I hope, well I guess we can all gain something at least._ The blond sighed and rolled over to work on his report for Ibiki. He hoped the Jonin sensei wouldn't be too mad if he ever found out the three of them were working on their off days and after training.

In ANBU headquarters, a few new faces had been added to the cells. Anko and Inoichi had spent most of the day having a chat with two men who had been i.d by some of the ANBU on Naruto's case. What they found had both in a foul temper. Anko had been so furious she turned down dango in favor of beating the living daylights out of a training dummy. Inoichi had been much more put together. He had made an expansive profile of the two men and documented what they had done for future use. Ibiki had spent the day on one of the other, more pressing cases that T&I had. The Hokage wanted to keep everything as quiet as possible when it came to this kind of issue, so Ibiki himself was handling it. The jonin was somewhat relieved to be back in a more familiar environment. He was doing much better with his kids, but being a sensei was much different than just being an active jonin. He was pleasantly tired and loose from his latest interrogation when he returned to his office to go over the reports from Anko and Inoichi.

He was expecting the news. Both men, civilians, had confessed to spreading word of Naruto's status and encouraging others to ostracise him. Both had also followed the boy back to his apartment and broken in to wreck the place. Neither had admitted to harming him as of yet, but Anko and Inoichi had both said that they suspected there to be more to learn. They had gotten a few more names to chase down.

This was turning out to be an excellent training exercise for some of the new ANBU. Ibiki just hated that it came at the price of a child's safety. One ANBU in particular, a veteran, was going to flip when they returned to the village. Ibiki sighed and signed off on a new black ops mission. He wondered if Naruto was aware of his guardian angel.

Hound was back home. Konoha even smelled more comfortable than any other city to him by now. He was buzzing with energy despite the three days he'd been traveling at top speed to get back. His brother in all but blood was a genin now, and Hound had been loathed to leave the village the week before his graduation. He knew he would pass, and so his summons had delivered his gift, but Hound wanted to see for himself. He wasn't able to be near the boy often enough for his protective instincts to be satisfied, but he did what he could.

Hound came into sight of the village walls and he picked up a fraction more speed. The outer wall was breached silently, with skill born of long practice. The guards at the gate were none the wiser to his return. Hound flashed over the rooftops and made his way to Headquarters. He hated to do anything else first, but seeing his 'brother' would have to wait. His own genin team would see him late the next morning. It would be amusing to see how they had fared with his shadow clone. He smirked. The dear little things likely hadn't. None of them were quite up to snuff. Hound would get them into shape soon, or eventually maybe.

He continued to pass by the village unnoticed by even the shinobi that were out and about. A handful of ANBU in uniform and out noticed him. As he neared the location around Headquarters, he slowed his pace slightly. The ANBU on guard outside Headquarters let him pass when he flared his chakra. Bear had always been good at recognizing chakra. Inside, Hound went straight to the office of the Head. Ibiki was at his desk still and Hound bowed briefly before launching in to his brief report.

"Mission success. No casualties. Target was recovered and replaced. No hostiles were met in return." Hound unsealed a scroll and set out a battered book and set of three scrolls heavily decorated in a traditional style. Ibiki looked up from his report and set it down to look over the recovered items. He briefly flicked through the book.

"Mission report accepted. You are dismissed." Hound was staring at the papers on Ibiki's desk while the jonin had looked over the book. Hound did not like what he was seeing. He knew he'd been gone away on missions frequently, and he knew he overlooked many if not most social niceties, but this was far beyond what he had been aware of. He bowed again and left the office before Ibiki could notice anything off. He kept up his normal front until he was halfway to his new destination.

Hound felt his hackles raising, his killing aura was almost visible by the time he reached the nearly abandoned apartment complex. The building looked even more rundown now that Hound took the time to look at it. Now that he had seen those reports… Hound landed on the window sill and peeked in. The boy was laying in bed, fast asleep. Hound quickly dismantled the rather well made web of traps on the window and slipped inside.

There were a few books on the low table, one being the large red tome Hound had most recently given the boy. Papers and a brush were also laid out. _He started already huh? Just like them…_ Hound was uneasy in the small, unfamiliar apartment so soon after his mission. His nerves were on edge and he couldn't calm down. He moved silently to check the door and found it warded with traps that included seals and several nasty tripwires. A thin smirk touched his lips. The seals were fitting. Satisfied that he would be able to hear anyone coming, Hound was able to calm some of his instincts. He moved back towards the bed and flipped through the open books. He had fond memories of some of these same chapters. A slight sound had him glancing up-

Blue eyes, wide and startled, met his own.

Naruto had gone to bed after a few hours of working on his seals and Ibiki's assignment. He was satisfied with his day. Sleep came easier, with the extensive traps and seals he'd put up in the last few days. He wasn't aware of what woke him at first. Drifting up out of dreamless sleep was a slow process. Something, almost like a voice, niggling in the back of his head stirred him. A tingle urged him up, just a brief sensation he normally associated with chakra. He snapped open his eyes. _There was someone in his apartment!_ Naruto didn't move, kept his breathing as steady as he could. He sat up and pulled his knees up underneath his body, preparing to move. His hands grasped at the pack on senbon he always wore out of instinct. When his eyes met mismatched ones behind a bloody mask, his heart rate nearly doubles.

 _Oh god, what-!_ He frantically noted the black uniform and chest plate along with the white mask beneath blood and dirt. _ANBU._ Was his only thought. The ANBU had turned when he sat up. The man seemed to freeze at the same time. Naruto wasn't sure what to do. He'd seen ANBU from a distance, and a few times in the Hokage's office. He'd never been caught by them when they chased him after pranking. A thrill of fear coursed through him. _Is he here for me!? What is going on?_ The ANBU tipped his head to one side slowly, still staring at him. Naruto wondered what the hell he was doing.

Hound was still, watching his self proclaimed charge. The boy _looked_ fine, he had no noticeable wounds, he wasn't moving stiffly. So, what was in those reports must have been a bit older information. It still chapped him that anything had been missed during his watch, sporadic as it was. He focused, vaguely noting that something seemed to be wrong with his actions and thoughts. It wasn't important right now though. Hound turned his head to take stock of the way the boy was sitting, crouched on his bed with three senbon in his hand. Why was he doing that? _What… would make him react like that? There are no threats… It's safe, home…_ Hound didn't feel himself wobble, didn't feel how cold his limbs were. He didn't even feel himself falling.

Naruto watched with growing confusion as the ANBU seemed to stagger slightly. He'd made no move to come any closer, though Naruto knew that if he did make a move against him, it would be far too late for him to do anything about it. Then the ANBU started to collapse. He moved without thought. Senbon were tucked away and he'd caught the man as best he could. The man was a deadweight, and Naruto paled at the thought.

"Please don't be dead, don't be dead…" He muttered as he settled the man down on the floor and hurried to check his pulse. To his immense relief, there was a steady beat. Naruto sagged back and reached up to rub at his eyes. Colour on his palm stopped him. _Blood, this is blood._ He could smell it now, overpoweringly coppery and sharp. _He'd bleeding… what do I do?_ More panic paralyzed the boy. Another whisper, a hint of a thought sparked him into action. _I should stop the bleeding, clean the wounds or something right? I mean, I can't let him die… Oh god, I have no idea!_ The basic training the Academy had gone through hadn't prepared him for this. He had a vague idea, mixed with wild thoughts, on what to do. Naruto hurried to turn on the small floor lamp in the corner on.

In the dim light, the state of his strange visitor was made more evident. There were a few shallow cuts on his upper arms and a burn on his chest. Two parallel gashes on his right thigh were still bleeding along with the cuts on his arm. A scrape on the back of his head had coloured some of his pale hair crimson. Naruto winced. A couple of his fingers were also broken, and who knew what else. Naruto dug out a plank from the paneling on his wall to reveal a stash of medical supplies.

He grabbed some of everything and piled it on the table. He bit his lip and then fetched a deep bowl from the kitchen and filled it with water. He took a handful of clean, well worn towels as well. Back in the main room, he wet and rung out one of the towels and dabbed gingerly at the gashes in the ANBU's thigh. They were deep, but didn't appear to have nicked the artery. Naruto cleaned off the blood and grime carefully and then grabbed some disinfectant and cleaned them out as best he could. Then he bandaged it. The same process was done to the other cuts and open wounds. Naruto had to sit and think when it came to the broken fingers. He'd stripped the armour and shirt to bandage the burn on his chest, and found two ribs were fractured.

"Splints and wrapping, the best I can do…" He muttered and dug through his supplies to find more gauze to wrap with. The fingers were easier, more obvious to fix. He was extra careful taping the finger out straight and binding the stiff splint between the two to keep them that way. Ribs though, that was outside of his meager knowledge. Open wounds and burns he'd bandaged on himself enough to have at least an idea. But broken ribs were not at all the same. He ended up rubbing a bruise salve on the ANBU's chest and stomach and then wrapping him from the waist up to his shoulders snugly. Naruto then sat back and looked over them man. He was calm enough now to note more details.

His hair was shockingly silver and fluffy. The black tattoo on his shoulder marking him as one of the black ops was easy to see, so at least the genin knew for certain the man was really ANBU. His mask depicted a hound. And wasn't that humorous, after he'd named his mysterious benefactor 'Hound' and ANBU with a dog mask showed up in the middle of the night.

Naruto supposed the shinobi had been disoriented and entered the wrong apartment. There was no other reason for an ANBU to visit him. He was just the pariah of the village, who occasionally got into trouble for pranks. Naruto checked the bindings on the bandages again and made sure there were no more wounds he'd missed before. There were none, thankfully. There were a few faded scars on his arms and torso, but surprisingly fewer than expected. The memory of his last visit to the hospital rose up.

"Medical jutsu things don't leave scars… this guy might just go to the hospital a lot?" A jaw cracking yawn had the blond boy tiredly tidying up his room, getting rid of the bowl of bloody water and putting away all the unused bandages and such. He debated on what to do with the ANBU now. He had no idea what would be considered normal procedure, but this didn't seem much like a 'normal' situation anyway.

"T'hell with it." He muttered and made a pair of shadow clones to help him lift the unconscious man. Naruto placed him in his bed, tucked in the patched but warm blanket in around him and then curled up in the opposite corner of the room with an extra sweater on. The blond genin drifted off to sleep slowly, painfully aware of the soft breathing coming from his bed.


	24. Chapter 23

Author's note: First, disclaimer- I make no profit off of this fic, and do not own Naruto or any other characters. (I always forget those) I had a few people who were confused about Hound, and what happened with him, so hopefully this chapter clear that up. Stuff is getting started now, things are moving along. I am so excited! Now on to the story!

Hound woke with a jolt, precisely at four o'clock, as he had for more than a decade now. He was instantly aware of his surroundings, or at least he was trying to be aware. He was… lying down, in a bed, that didn't smell like wet dog, or dust. So. Well then, not his bare apartment then. He didn't move, or allow his heart rate and breathing to shift at all. He was laying down, in a bed with blankets on top. His body had the usual aches and pains from a mission. There was no sound to indicate a hospital, and the cloying scent of decay and antiseptic was absent. _Not hospitalized then._ Hound could hear the faint sounds of voices and movement. _A city, and it smells more like Home, so Konoha?_ Hound let his chakra out just a tad and found that the building he was in, whatever that was, was almost completely empty. There was one maybe two people, he couldn't tell from the amount of chakra alone, nearby. He kept still then, trying to remember what had happened. He could recall entering the village, keeping out of sight as usual. _Thinking about the brats, Bear was on duty outside. Ibiki, desk, oh shi- the papers. Naruto! I went to check on him._ The memories ended there. He couldn't even remember if he'd made it to the boy's apartment. Although, the empty state of wherever he was indicated his success there at least.

Hound felt he had analyzed the situation more than enough now, so he sat up carefully. He noted the bandages on his chest and arms first. He was indeed in Naruto's home. _Kid did a half decent job,_ he noted, looking down at his hand. He noted that his shirt and armour were gone, but fortunately his mask was still in place. The coffee table had been cleared of books and in their place was his shirt and armour. A slight movement had him snapping his attention to his surroundings. He found the sight that met him terribly adorable.

A blond head was peaking out around the doorway to the kitchen. Wide blue eyes, and a frown completed the picture. Naruto shuffled, clearly uncomfortable.

"Ah… um, A-ANBU-san?" Hound stood and was pleased to note that his legs held his weight remarkably well. He must have recovered enough from his previous exhaustion and blood loss. Naruto edged out from behind the wall. Hound was pleased to note the absence of one glaringly _orange_ piece of clothing. The boy looked fine, Hound noted, paying close attention in light of what he'd seen the night before. There were no visible scars, and while the boy was keeping his distance, that wasn't to unusual, considering ANBU were quite intimidating in general. He would be having… words with a few people as soon as possible. But for now, there seemed to be nothing pressing.

"Ah, well. Uh, great… you're, still alive." The boy slapped a hand over his face after the words tumbled out. "I-I mean! Uh, it's just that you were super pale last night, and I didn't know what to do, but then I just did something. And today I thought of better ideas, but then you were asleep, so… uh, well I don't know. I uh…" His face was scarlet by now. Hound was smiling slightly behind the mask. Naruto squeaked when he stepped closer.

"I made breakfast, so-! Ah, so y-you could eat? I mean, if you want." Hound shrugged and reached out to gather his clothes. A slight nod was enough for Naruto to scurry back to the kitchen. Hound checked over the bandaged injuries, and was pleased with the healing. He'd have to stop by either the hospital or Headquarters later, but he'd make it 'til then. The smell of miso and rice drew him to the small table. Dishes, chipped and mismatched, were set out.

Naruto flinched when he turned around to find the ANBU only a few feet behind him. He hurried to set the steaming teapot on the table.

"I can't make anything fancy, so it's just rice, rolled omelettes and miso." Hound shrugged and sat down. Naruto followed suit. The blond poured them both a cup of his homemade herbal tea and then started picking at his food. Hound, through years of practice, was able to eat without appearing to move his mask at all. Naruto kept his staring to a minimum. As strange as it was, he wasn't going to stare. He knew how annoying that could be. Odd as it was, Naruto wasn't as bothered by the man's quiet presence as he thought. The meal was silent and swift. Naruto cleared off the dishes while Hound watched.

"Ah, s-so, I patched you up as best as I could. B-but I d-don't actually have, y'know, training. So…so a h-hospital, or I mean, a doctor should… Uh." Hound smiled behind his mask. The boy was cute, like a puppy. He reached out and patten the blond head and then took a few steps away. He technically wasn't supposed to initiate contact with the boy, but he could play this off as momentary loss of consciousness. The damned elders couldn't say a word to that. Hound knew he couldn't stay longer though, so he returned to the living room\bedroom and gathered his armour and clothes. Naruto had followed him in.

"Did- are you… gonna be ok?" He'd asked in a small voice. Hound turned and took a step closer. He patted the boys head again, thinking of his ninken.

"I'll be fine, puppy." Naruto jerked slightly and then frowned.

"Huh?" Before he could question the ANBU, he'd vanished. His window was open and a few leaves drifted in to settle on the table. A scrap of paper was lying on the floor as well. Naruto shrugged slightly and closed the window, re-engaging the traps as he did so. Next he quickly tidied up the room. He had to get to the team meeting soon. He straightened up the bed and finished washing the dishes before coming back to gather up his equipment. He also bent to pick up the paper. A messy scribbled note and a doodle of a dog with a vest decorated the paper

" _Sleep more, Puppy. Don't read to much at night. ~Hound"_ Naruto glanced sharply at the newest book, with its note he'd deemed from 'Hound' and wondered at the probability of two mysterious visitors ending up with the same name. He stood lost in thought for a long moment. The ticking of the clock caught his attention.

"Ah! Damn it-!" He had five minutes to get out the door.

Training went well, shifting their routine slightly to incorporate some teaching now as well as the endurance testing. Ibiki had them working on a few new kata instead of sparring today.

"The Academy basic style is suitable for introductory training," He'd informed them. "But for anything more, it is lacking. These kata will help you pin down a style. Shino already has some of his clan style integrated, but you two will need to pick different ones." Shikamaru had bemoaned this for most of the morning. Naruto had been feeling out of sorts, no doubt due to his late night and rushed morning. New taijutsu, which he struggled with anyway, wasn't helping much. Ibiki had noticed, and decided to let him be. It would be interesting to see what would happen. Soon, Shino had migrated over from what had become 'his' area of the grass. He'd waited for Naruto to pause in his kick practice.

"Naruto." The blond had looked up. "May I offer assistance?" The Aburame the waited for a response. After their diner and training the night before, he was even more curious about his new friend and the many oddities in his training levels. Naruto had huffed, but nodded. He didn't want to make mistakes, and he wasn't too worried about Shino using this as an opportunity to take a shot at him. Shino had then glanced over the diagrams on Naruto's kata.

"Ah, I see." He then slowly moved through the kata with the blond, pointing out subtle changes. "You move your left foot to the side, like this. Why? Because then you can twist your hips and gain more power and balance." Then, "Step back and to the right here. You will be able to transitions to another step or throw more easily." Naruto hadn't said a word so far. He was focused intently. Shikamaru was watching, but staying put for now. The genius was already working out a more precise plan for their after hours training.

Shino went through all of the kata with Naruto, and then watched him go through them twice to check for any other issues. When the brunette was satisfied, he returned to his own practice.

"H-hey, Shino," He turned back slightly. "Thanks, that really helped." Naruto had smiled slight, and was shocked to see Shino smile back. The other boy nodded and went back to his own work. Ibiki was pleased. This was good progress, in more ways than one, for a new genin team. It could take months for some teams to start working as a unit. And here is team was, a week and a half in and already the three boys were much closer. Naruto especially had been growing. The jonin knew that he'd have to start more actual instruction into their team soon, he'd gotten a fairly good read on the three of them.

Naruto would need extra help to compensate for what was doubtless neglect in his time at the Academy. But, the boy worked hard, much harder than any other genin, aside from Guy's clone, but Ibiki did have limits. He'd seen, unfortunately, how the green clad pair got when they trained. That was a bit… too much enthusiasm for him. No, his one slightly traumatized genin and the two other quiet boys didn't need that.

He would start them on some stealth and intelligence gathering. They'd need it as his team. The sooner they realized for themselves what kind of team they were, the better. He may be more comfortable with his kids, but he still had little idea of how to deal with somethings.

The new kata were put to use when Ibiki set them to sparring two on one. Naruto surprised him again when the boy started using kata that were far from the academy style. The more Ibiki watched, the more confused he became. The style was odd, a mix of speed and raw strength with sharp shifts tossed in. There was something about the style that was familiar, but he couldn't think of what it was. It was well suited to a more battle-like spar. Naruto held his own far better than Ibiki had expected. The nature of the style was unpredictable, and yet clearly a learned, intentional skill and not just wild attacks. Naruto was able to shift between the other two boy's attacks quickly, while still getting in some offence of his own.

"Hold!" He called. The three froze, as they had learned to do after a few days with the grim jonin. "Naruto, why haven't you been using this style until now?" The blond looked confused.

"Uh, Isn't it only for multiple people? I can't use it one on one." He answered straight, ignoring his instinct to cower and avoid punishment. Ibiki shook his head.

"No, you could use it on a single opponent. Where did you learn it?" Naruto had shifted a bit, not wanting to tell the man about his cache of knowledge. The same hesitancy had birthed the idea of not telling the jonin about their extra plans.

"Uh, well I have a scroll on multi-person battle… It had a few combos and things in it…" Ibiki gave him a hard look.

"I see. I'll work on that with you tomorrow. For now, we are going to move on to something else. Take a ten minute break, then we will reconvene."

The three boys were tired and bruised as they sat in a half circle around Ibiki ten minutes later. Naruto had ditched his sleeveless jacket and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. Shikamaru was blinked especially slow, and if Ibiki didn't know his father, he'd have said the boy wasn't going to retain anything from his lesson. Even Shino was showing his tiredness in the slope of his shoulders.

"What is one of the most important skills for a shinobi to have?" The three exchanged a glance.

"While teamwork would be an obvious answer, I would say resilience is a critical skill." The Aburame answered. Ibiki focused on him.

"Explain why."

"Logically, missions can go wrong or become more challenging than first thought. Being able to adapt and continue on to your goal would be imperative. Why? Because you do not have the luxury of stopping or changing your group and plan in the middle of a mission." Ibiki nodded.

"While that is true, and your reasoning is quite accurate, that isn't what I was after." Shikamaru spoke up then.

"I'd assume, with the way our team is set up, information gathering and data analysis is a big thing." Trust the Nara to get exactly the right answer.

"Why? Give me a reason." Shikamaru shrugged and leaned against Naruto's shoulder. The blond shifted slightly, but didn't push him away.

"Maa, Shino is well suited to informations gathering, and Naruto as well. The Aburame's kikaichu hives are versatile when it comes to reconnaissance. Naruto is able to cover long distances and is not easily identifiable as a Konoha shinobi. He has the possibility of becoming a jutsu specialist which would lend itself to getting in and out of enemy areas. He also has lots of experience sneaking around, what with all of his pranks. He even got into the Hyuuga compound once, so avoiding detection is a strong suit of his." The boy yawned. "I plan and piece together data, and I have a very low chakra presence, which aids in stealth." Naruto was pleased to hear that he would be good at something in the eyes of his team. He half wanted to hug the Nara, and half wanted to blush and avoid looking at anyone.

"Excellent. The three of you are going to start training various methods of intelligence gathering today. As we go through more of them, you will start demonstrating them." The three genin settled in for the lesson. Their jonin continued.

"For now, we will be focusing on stealth and personal awareness. Knowing what is around you and where your body is moving is the first step. You will be going through a parked area several times today, then we will be moving on to something else after lunch." The three nodded and paid close attention to Ibiki's explanation of quiet movements and chakra dampening sound.

Then he set them lose on the course. Ibiki already had his suspicions, there really is a reason the Uzumaki boy was able to prank anyone in the village. He takes to stealth like he was made for it. The way he moves his body is deliberate, calculated. The jonin would be far more upset with _why_ the boy knows how to move like that if it weren't so useful. It says alot, when Naruto manages to be quieter than Shino. Aburame are more naturally inclined to silence than most other shinobi, but Naruto has who know how many years of experience on the other boy. And it shows.

Naruto knows to avoid dry leaves and brush, he times his steps with the slight breeze and even knows how to move between trees and open areas almost unseen. Ibiki can recall how frustrated ANBU patrols would get when a pre-genin student, wearing eye bleeding orange of all things, could escape their notice, and then _outrun them_ on occasion. The other two boys do well for genin, but there is always room for improvement, and Ibiki will have nothing less than the best from his team. He pushes them hard for several hours, correcting their mistakes. Each times, it takes a few minutes longer for them to slip up. They broke for lunch, Ibiki taking off to stop in his office. The three genin curled up together at the training ground. Shikamaru started their discussion with a wide yawn.

"Man, this is going to be such a pain, but I started a rough outline for some extra work. If we do it right, we can start working up our chakra reserves along with some jutsu or other techniques. I thought after training today, we could focus on some stamina building for Shino and I." He leaned back to munch on a rice ball. Shino nodded and pushed up his glasses.

"This is a good plan. We could alternate what skills we work on. Why? Because each of us has something to help the others with, and the most effective way to evenly build skill is to mix the training." Naruto, feeling more balanced and at ease than he could recall, spoke up next.

"I can make shadow clones and set them off running for you two to chaise. Then we could work on those exercise from last night again." Shikamaru hummed in agreement.

"'Kay. That will be today. Tomorrow, we could move on to some taijutsu. I don't have many scrolls for that." He rubbed at his nose with a light frown.

"I, uh. I have a few, I don't know how useful they will be, but I can bring them tomorrow." Naruto offered, reaching out, like Iruka-sensei had encouraged. He could meet their effort with equal measure of his own. They were a team, and he would work to trust them. He was fairly sure, now, that he could rely on these two boys, and maybe even their grim sensei. Shino accepted his offer easily.

"I can bring some of my clan's kata scrolls, but they may not suit either of you well." Shikamaru just yawned.

"Uh, well we can at least try right?" The blond mumbled.

"Sure, I mean, it's a pain to have to work through styles and pick one, but I don't see any way around it." The Nara sighed. The three worked through a few more ideas before they had to start training again. It was only their second time sitting together working in this manner, and yet it already felt familiar in a way.

When their jonin returned, he was carrying a small, plane scroll.

"We will be moving on to something else new. We have a mission, here in the village. It will not be challenging in the typical sense of the word. I will be giving you all tasks to carry out in addition to the mission though." They all waited somewhat eagerly for him to continue. Training was all well and good, and they had spent plenty of time busily working on sparring and endurance over the past week, but mission were the lifeblood of ninja.

"You will be painting a house and fence in the eastern civilian area." Naruto choked slightly.

"Huh!?" He said in alarmed surprise. Shikamaru was already slumping his shoulders.

"So those were accurate rumors. D-rank chores huh? Great." He groused. Shino had no visible reaction. Ibiki let his sadistic glee peek, internally anyway.

"Yes. But, as a challenge, you will all be attempting to make as little noise, including talking, as possible." The three boys shared a glance before sighing.

"R-right. So we need supplies then?" Naruto asked. Ibiki grinned then. A chill swept through the area.

"Indeed, a two story house needs quite a bit of paint." Shikamaru groaned again.

"Ah man, this is gonna be such a drag…"


	25. Chapter 24

Hey guy! So sorry this is a day late. I totally forgot to post it yesterday. Some time is skipped here to get things moving. I hope you enjoy! (Disclaimer: I don't own or make a profit from this work.)

 _Last time:_ _Shikamaru groaned again._

 _"_ _Ah man, this is gonna be such a drag…"_

As it turned out, Shikamaru was correct. House painting was a boring job, even when communicating was done with rough gestures and sound was kept to a minimum. The snide comments and looks that Naruto received at every turn didn't help Shikamaru and Shino either. Naruto hardly noticed, and didn't react at all when the middle aged woman, the owner of the house, had turned to address Ibiki even though Naruto had asked a question. Then the whispers that followed them as they walked to a store to purchase the required paint. Shino was calculating how many people he could send his kikaichu after without them being noticed. He was betting on at least thirty. Ibiki was also paying attention and he wasn't pleased to see this. He'd put this in his file and send it on to the Hokage and Inoichi. They were going to have to step it up. He wouldn't tolerate this. He kept a lid on his irritation though. Instead, the jonin took great pleasure in watching the three boys struggle through the job. The first mishap occurred when Naruto, being shorter than the other two, had climbed on a step ladder and proceeded to drip paint on Shikamaru. The Nara had just sighed, and moved slightly. Naruto, fearing that he'd upset his teammate, and scrambled down to apologize.

"Hey, uh, my bad. You ok?" In his haste, he'd bumped into Shino as he was reaching for a larger paint brush. The brush landed in the dirt and then had to be washed out. Shino and Shikamaru had then spent about five minutes reassuring Naruto that it was fine, he didn't need to keep apologising. Ibiki found it all very amusing. He couldn't wait for them to end up on an academy mission or a missing pet retrieval. He'd reminded them of his extra task as well. The way they all snapped their mouths shut was quite the sight. All in all, it took them four hours to get the whole house painted and then tidied up.

Ibiki congratulated them gruffly once they were a ways away from the house.

"You did well. There were only a few major issues. First, during a mission, you can't let the objective interfere with your actions. Stealth was the focus today, and at times, the painting was more your focus than keeping quiet." He stopped them in a quiet area. "On a real mission, you have to be able to balance both parts. On an escort mission, you have to keep the principal safe, and reach your destination. You cannot allow one part or the other to overshadow the others." The three boys nodded, properly chastised. Ibiki glared slightly at them for a moment. He reached into a pocket and pulled out three folded slips of colourful yellow paper.

"These are pay slips for the D-rank. For a mission like this, the pay isn't much. The more difficult, or longer the mission is, the higher the pay is. Take this to the treasury office in the Hokage tower to receive the pay. We are done for today."

Hound had gone home, changed out of his ripped up clothes and visited Headquarters to get a bit more patched up before going off to find his team. The clone he'd had watching them reported back with a somewhat mixed report. His team wasn't awful, but they had a fair ways to go before they were good. Hinata was already opening up a bit with Ino and Kiba, which was good. He didn't deal all that well with young girls, or older ones either. Ino he could treat a bit like a mini-Inoichi, and Kiba was as wild as some of his ninken, so they wouldn't be to hard.

Hinata would be the most delicate one. Hiashi wasn't the best of parents after his wife died, and he'd neglected both his girls and his nephew. Kakashi could push Hinata to move away from the ridgid Hyuuga training, but it would take time. In the week he'd had his team, they'd done mostly review and some small practices with the basics. He'd have fun letting them chase him around for hours. The clone had started that the second day. Kakashi grinned and sauntered off to wait for the kiddos to come get him.

Naruto stood still in the center of the training grounds, keeping track of each clone he had running around. There were only four, so it wasn't as difficult as he'd expected when Shikamaru suggedested it. He and Shino were pursuing two of the clones, with the other two running interference. Naruto was trying to test the limits and abilities of the jutsu. None of them knew where to find information on it, as it was a kinjutsu. So, they were going to test it themselves. They'd been at it over an hour when Shikamaru called it quits. He came back to the clearing and flopped on the grass, sweaty and panting.

"That was a terrible idea. I'm gonna be so tired now." Naruto dispelled the two clones assigned to him and sat next to him.

"I guess so. We could work on those chakra exercises for the rest of the day." He'd offered. They only had about an hour and a half before the sun started to set. Shino joined them soon and readily agreed to do something else for the remainder of the day.

They moved to an area closer to the small stream, as last night more than one fire had started. Naruto pulled out another thin piece of paper and a tiny vile of his chakra ink.

"I thought I'd make another seal, so I can try to get some headway…" He waited for a nod before he swiftly traced out the symbols and connections for the seal. Shikamaru watched his movements sharply. He confirmed what he'd seen the day before. Naruto was either a prodigy with seals, or he'd been studying them for years. As he doubted the blond would lie, it looked like the former was their answer. The Nara kept the idea to himself. There was no need for him to curb Naruto's progress. It would be far more interesting to let it play out for a while. The way

Naruto breezed through something that the Nara genius had no hope of understanding without years of focused study was somehow freeing to the brunette. He was used to being hailed as a prodigy, as the hope for the future, and other ridiculous things. He was glad that his teammate could best him in some things. When the seal was finished, Naruto activated it. The surge and then vanishing of such a large amount of chakra made the two clan heirs' skin tingle. After a short pause, the three pushed on with their training. That night, they all went home tired, bruised and _very_ satisfied with their work.

This became their new pattern. Get up early, train with Ibiki-sensei, take a mission or two with more training incorporated, eat lunch, work on new skills, and then the three boys would move on to their own training. They all knew that they were pushing their limits farther than was expected. Shikamaru had spent time catching up with Ino and Choji and knew that their teacher was already doing much more work with them than other jonin were. Their stamina and skill with basic level arts were steadily growing. Their spars were more like harsh dances than clumsy steps. Ibiki was still taciturn, but he didn't intimidate the tree boys much anymore. He was always fair with them. Naruto had felt a bit guilty about trying so hard to keep their jonin from noticing their extra work. He might have grown out of much of his angisaty, but his distrust of authority hadn't quite relinquished its hold yet. Shino and Shikamaru were understanding, and went along with him. Shikamaru might complain about how troublesome training was, but he didn't exactly want to stop eather. Shino would just shrug and mutter something about friendship and bonds before moving on to something else. All three boys were different than the students they had been only months ago.

They knew that they were changing too. In the privacy of their training sessions, it was easy to see. Shikamaru had more energy than he'd ever had before. It was no longer a struggle for him to maintain his shadow possession for upwards of fifteen minutes solid. Shino had gained speed and his chakra reserves were growing, albeit slowly. His colony were developing well. Naruto though, had felt the growth the most acutely. The blond didn't know how much others could tell, but he'd lost much of the anxiety that plagued him for years. It was still there on occasion, and he still had some issues, but he no longer stuttered or hesitated to speak up with his team. He still carried his secret stash of senbon, tucked underneath his clothes, and he still felt wary of the villagers on occasion.

Shikamaru and Shino though, knew almost all of his secrets and he didn't feel out of place with them. There had been a few bumps along the way. Some misunderstandings had caused tension. They'd worked their way through. Shibi Aburame had quietly encouraged each of them here and there when they spent time in the clan lands.

The easy acceptance he found with the Aburame paved the way for Naruto opening up about his life. After a drunken villager had nearly attacked the blond on one of their late night trips home from an after practice snack, he'd felt like he needed to tell them. Shino had practically come alive with ire when the drunk had stumbled towards them mumbling threats and curses. The Aburame had never reacted to anything as strongly as he had that night. Shikamaru had calmly stood in front of Naruto and stared down the man. Shino had delivered quite the tongue lashing, from what Naruto could recall.

He hadn't heard as much as he wished, too caught up with a sudden fear of abandonment. Something along the lines of 'You are not worthy to lick the feet of a true Konoha shinobi like Naruto' and 'no comparison of character. Why? Because he is too good for someone like you to speak too.' and other things had stuck in his head. The next morning Naruto had brought homemade dango with his as a mid morning snack. He knew Shino was fond of dango. It had taken him some time to get all of it out, but he'd told them most of his secrets after the unpleasantness of his life were out of the way.

He'd told them about his stash of scrolls, his ventures outside the village walls, and his sealing. They were both surprisingly hostile about the reasoning behind his night time trips. Between them an easy comradery grew. They spent nearly every waking moment together. Naruto soon found himself He'd been invited over for dinner and training at the Aburame lands so much that he only knocked if he was later than usual. Shino's parents were quietly supportive of both their son and the blond boy. Shikamaru spent marginally less time at the Aburame clan, and only did so because his mother tended to fret if he was gone too often. Keeping his training secret from both adult Naras was not difficult. Shino's parents never intruded on them, so the genin were home free.

The three had compiled all of their knowledge, and it turned out that between them, they had access to ost of what they wanted or needed to learn. The Aburame and Nara clans both valued knowledge, and thus had large collections of all kinds of scrolls and books. Naruto had some in his collection that were different, more precise than the meandering teaching methods in the Nara books.

The only thing that they didn't have access to was more information on fuinjutsu. It didn't hinder Naruto that much though. His knack for putting together matrices and detailed patterns was easily supported by the large book supposedly from his mother. In the month and a half they had been training secretly, Naruto had come up with several new and highly valuable seals. He was flourishing. With just a few close connections to support him and the different environment, he'd progressed rapidly.

There had been fewer attacks on him as well, and that combined with his stable team had the blond sleeping more and gaining more and more confidence. Ibiki had even complimented him on his progress outside of their team training. His brush with the Hound ANBU had brought a new routine into his life as well. Now, every few days, he'd wake up at night to find something left for him on the small coffee table. Some days it was food, bought from village shops, other times it was new kunai or even just a note scribbled on the margins of his sealing theories. He'd been worried for a bit, until a note had referred him back to a scroll he'd received three years prior. Unless the ANBU had searched his apartment, and gotten through the newly placed security wards, Naruto had found the mysterious gift giver.

His two teammates hadn't been quite as easy going about his ANBU visitor. It was one of the few fights they'd had that wasn't easily resolved. Despite their misgivings, Naruto had been happy to know that someone seemed to be concerned for him, someone not on his team. Truly, the three genin were happy and thriving. Shino and Shikamaru had also continued to chip away at the mystery behind Naruto. They knew that he wasn't in on whatever it was, or he couldn't tell them. So they kept on researching, piecing together bits and pieces of information. Shikamaru was so incredibly close to getting the full picture, he could practically taste it. He felt it would take only a few more weeks or even less time to make that last breakthrough.

Across the village, in a small, ordinary apartment, a plot was forming. The man in the little home was ready, finally, after so long. He'd waited enough. He'd waisted a prime change once before, but not this time. He would manage it, or so help him…

It was late, Shikamaru was back at his home, laden with record books from the library. He'd gotten a few on history as well and passed off his collection as part of a long term analysis of the village. His parents and the librarian had bought the lie. Looking up information on Kushina Uzumaki, Mito Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze would have raised alarm. Especially if his nagging thoughts were correct. The records he was going through were diverse. Hospital records, property purchases, gate logs and official documents pertaining to the clans on Konoha.

"Let's see, ah here." The passage on inter-village cooperation was long winded, but it contained several more mentions of that term he'd only recently heard. _Jinchuriki_. He'd not yet found out exactly who or what they were, but they'd been important enough to be discussed between Kage as far back as the time of Hashirama Senju. His wife Mito had been involved as well. What he was more interested in was the mention of bringing someone from a place called 'Uzushio' to help Mito with something. Mentions of the Raikage's brother also cropped up here and there. Shikamaru turned the page and read on.

"Uzumaki, that name again…" Kushina Uzumaki had immigrated from Uzushio to Konoha as a child, there was a note about her admittance to the academy, and then mentions of her meeting with Mito several times. Then nothing. No other mention of the other Uzumaki woman until a series of hospital notes after she became a genin. Then, again nothing, after she became a jonin. A large span of inactivity was unusual in higher ranked shinobi. The war had only ended shortly before, and the village was down on manpower.

Shikamaru found it odd that someone who made jonin would then stop taking missions for months. Then there were the mentions of the Fourth Hokage. That was where the land purchase records and clan histories came in to play. Namikaze wasn't a clan, so why was there a large plot of land, not marked anywhere else but on his father's maps, labeled as the Namikaze compound? None of the other maps he'd found had that area labeled at all.

If the land was purchased, it would have had to be marked down in some ledger of record. So he searched. It took hours of going through the old records, but he found it. A few months before the odd halt in the Uzumaki woman's hospital visits- and thus missions- Minato Namikaze had bought a large area of land in the private, wooded area near the Hatake clan compound. There were no records of any resale after his death twelve years ago. Which meant that it was either vacant, or being held in trust for some relative of the Fourth. However, there were no listed relatives anywhere. For that matter, no will was to be found. _Something's off about that. And the timing's weird. I mean, there are mentions of Kushina Uzumaki and the Fourth, and then that weird entry Dad wrote. There is just enough time there for… Damn, I think I get it._ The Nara flipped through the medical records again, and found exactly what he was looking for.


	26. Chapter 25

So! I finally updated. Sorry for the wait. Real life sucks when you have finals. I haven't check over this chapter ferry much, as I was working quickly. I hope you all like it. It answers some questions I've gotten. Thanks for reading! (Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto)

Naruto walked with his head down and his shoulders relaxed. He was exhausted and he had several new burns that were tender. His newest project hadn't gone as well today. Shino had to take his brushes away eventually. It was late but he was wandering the the forests near the training grounds, feeling too restless to go back to his apartment. He decided he might as well take some time to try and restock his pantry. He sighed and tried to ignore the nagging thoughts he had on his seal array. Spotting a clump of wild celery, he reached over- A prick of chakra was all he had for warning. A fuma shuriken slammed into his hastily brought up kunai. The blade ping?ed as it broke. Naruto flipped back and rolled to the side to dodge a second giant shuriken.

The genin spotted a figure dropping from the trees and running at him. The figure was wearing a flak vest and a navy blue bandana. He had light hair that hung nearly to his shoulders and wore dark, nondescript clothing. He wasn't moving at quite the pace Naruto knew a jonin would, so probably a chunin. He hadn't said anything, and Naruto was hardly going to wait to move.

The boy used a c-level wind jutsu, trying to think on his feet. This wasn't the same as the spars the group did. Naruto was on his own, no Ibiki-sensei to call off the fight if something happened, no Shikamaru with his basic med-kit. A stinging fire burst on his arm and torso. Senbon were poking out of his clothing like the spikes on a porcupine. Naruto winced and focused harder, tracking his attacker as much as he could. The blond stayed on the defencive for several more minutes. In the dark, it was much harder to maneuver through the trees and brush. A fire ball raced at him and the genin ducked and took to the trees. In the red glare from the fire now smoldering behind him, a leaf etched in the metal plate of the man's hitai-ate mocked him.

"What are you doing!?" He shouted. He knew that many of the ninja in the village weren't fond of him, but this was something else. Then the ninja paused. A wild laugh bubbled up.

"Ha! Ahahaha, you know, I forgot how dumb you were, demon." A chill ran through the boy. He knew that voice, and the hatred it carried.

"Mizuki-san." Mizuki laughed again and attacked with taijutsu. Naruto backpedaled quickly, but still had to eat a hard kick to his thigh. A flurry of punches and elbow strikes from the genin were not nearly enough to stop the older shinobi.

"You know what else? I always wanted to see what colour you bleed. A thing like you can't feel the pain we do." Mizuki rambled. Naruto was chilled by the wide grin the man sported. A rush of cold adrenaline roared through the boy. He could hardly remember any of his training clearly. He tried to focus, to move through the kata he knew, but it ended up a mess. He gave up on thinking and resorted to instinct. He found that his chakra was burning through his veins. He could feel each of the points the energy radiated from. His senses started to sharpen, as the occasionally did. He could hear the wind from senbon and shuriken, smell the earthiness of the forest. He could see in the darkness. A whisper, a brush of a thought in his mind told him to jump. The blond didn't hesitate. He leapt for the closest tree and clung to it with chakra and his hands. The bark beneath his feet smoldered. Not even a second later, the earth sunk in where he'd been standing. Mizuki leapt after him, cursing him and railing about monsters and blood. Naruto was losing his limits. He didn't know what to do. The burning of the chakra within him was starting to hurt. Another fliker of thought distracted him. _Move, now._ It said. Naruto paused, finding it odd. He did think that he should- A knee to his ribcage downed the boy. He coughed and gasped for breath. The demented chunin was kneeling on his chest hard enough for him to feel his bones creak. Mizuki laughed. It started as a soft, deceptively gentle chuckled. Then his eyes seemed to glaze. The laugh became a hysterical giggling.

"Ahah, heehee! I did it. I got the demon. The Kyubi will die! Die. Yes, I'll kill it. Save everyone from the monster." Naruto had frozen.

"W-what…?" He gasped out. Mizuki glared down at him.

"Oh, you pretend to be innocent now? You aren't!" Mizuki pinned his hands to the ground with senbon through his hands. Naruto tried to bite back a whimper of pain. The man was clearly crazy, and he had no idea what to do. Where was Shikamaru with all his brilliant ideas when you needed him?

"No, you are the Kyubi. Lord Hokage sealed it, but you are it. It's in you, became you! Those marks on your face are the sign. Ha! Died did you, twelve years ago? No. You are still here, plaguing everyone with your presence." Naruto was still, stund.

"Y-you… What are you talking about? The Fourth killed it-"

"He sealed into you. You ARE the kyubi!" Mizuki shouted. He started to stab at the boy beneath him with a kunai. The madness had taken hold. Naruto shouted in shock and pain. The throwing knife didn't cut deeply, but the was panicking.

"Get off! Mizuki!" He shouted, trying and failing to roll out from under him. The chunin laughed again and clasped his kunai with both hands.

"You'll die by my hand!" There was a crack, a blur of movement and then a bone white mask was staring down at the chunin. The blade of a tanto, crackling with the blue glow of lightning rested a fraction of a inch from the madman's throat.

Hound stared down balefully at the chunin. Naruto was gasping short breaths. Mizuki was frozen still.

"Y-you… the Fourth's protege. Surely you…" Hound snapped out his free had in a graceful move. Mizuki's head snapped around and he collapsed.

"Puppy?" Hound sounded strangely hesitant. Naruto just stared up at the man.

"H-hound. I-" He choked. The ANBU instantly knelt and carefully pulled out the senbon from his hands and pulled him up. Hound let the blond rest against him while he checked him over. Naruto felt numb and cold.

"What, ah what was he talking about? Hound, do you know?" Hound bared his teeth behind the mask. How dare this scum say such things to his precious puppy. It did give the man a valid reason to answer though.

"Pup, Naruto, you have studied sealing. You know how powerful they can be." Naruto sucked in another quick breath as the ANBU went about cleaning the wounds in his hand. It must have been the shock, but he felt oddly, like he knew what was going to be said.

"The Fourth was a genius when it came to seals. He wasn't called the Flying Thunder God for no reason. He didn't kill the Nine Tails. You can't really kill a chakra being. He did as the first Hokage did, and sealed it into a member of the Uzumaki clan. The seal was so powerful that it could contain all the power of the tailed beast. But it cost him his life." The Hound shuddered slightly.

"I was his student, and I was there when he died. He wanted you to be the Hero of Konoha, for keeping everyone safe. Obviously that didn't happen." Naruto was struggling now, trying to move away from the arms holding him gently. His world was fragmenting.

No, no I can't be. That means that I-" He had his flailing arms caught and folded over his chest. Hound petted his hair with his other hand.

"Uh, I'm not really good at this…" He sighed and turned Naruto to face him. "Sealing means that something is contained right? And depending on the seal matrix, the seal is kept separate from the vessel. The Fourth was too good to make anything less than a perfectly stable, safe seal." Naruto looked into the mismatched eyes of his rescuer.

"O-ok." Was all he could muster. Hound was about to be very proud of his grasp of emotions and all that crap when Naruto fainted. Hound only then took note of the shivers that were wracking the boy.

"Sh- Damn it!" He checked his pulse and was relieved to find it strong and mostly steady. The ANBU stood with his precious cargo. The unconscious scumbag would have to be dealt with. Hound to loathed to put down his precious cargo, so he hastily bit his thumb and channeled chakra. A poof, and then thee dogs were standing next to him.

"Boss?" Pakkun rumbled, sniffing at the blood and electric tang of chakra. Bull and Akino were on high alert. Hound gestured to the chunin.

"Keep that… thing here for me. I'll send ANBU to get him. I need to take the puppy home, or I guess maybe to his sensei?" Pakkun huffed and trotted closer to sniff at the blond.

"This is-" Hound shushed him.

"Yes, and he's a bit hurt. That idiot saw fit to try and kill him." He jerked his chin at Mizuki. "I need you to tell the ANBU that come for him that he very explicitly let slip the secret, and also attacked a fellow Konoha shinobi. That should be enough for them. I'll talk to Sarutobi-san later." Pakkun sneezed and trotted over t sniff at the trator. Bull ambled after him and sat right on top of the unconscious man. Akino followed and sat up, alert.

"Hey," Pakkun called as Hound took to the trees. "Make sure the pup is alright for us." Hound didn't bother replying. He'd assumed that was obvious.

Ibiki was enjoying a quiet night. The Hokage and Shikaku had worked their way through most of the ranks to weed out any issues. The civilian side of the investigation had resulted in several mind wipes courtesy of the Yamanaka clan and some jail time. Anko was very happy with her job right now. His team was doing well. Yes, everything was looking up. Speaking of his team, he was most pleased with the three genin. They'd taken to his harsh training remarkably well. The three were practically inseparable. His stealth and information gathering training was going very well. He'd had them follow jonin around the village the other day, and it had taken Genma three hours to realize he was being tailed. Naruto was almost over his anxiety, it only cropped up once in a while now. Shikamaru was complaining less, and Shino was… a Anburame. That meant Ibiki could tell precious little about the boy. He was fiercely attacked to both his teammates though, so that was something. The ANBU commander was just settling in for a nice cup of tea and a book when a crack and a puff of smoke filled his living room. The jonin was out of the chair and hurtling towards the intruder with a long bladed knife when-

"Yo, is this a bad time?" The Hound mask staring back at him brought him up short.

"Hound! WHat the hell were you thinking!? You know that when I'm at home I don't deal with ANBU-" Hound interrupted him.

"Ma, this isn't just about ANBU. I thought you might want to take care of you little puppy. Oh, I mean genin." Houd promptly deposited the unconscious form of one Naruto Uzumaki in his sensei unprepared arms.

"What the hell? Kakashi! Get back here and explain this." Ibiki then noticed the blood. The dark tone in the jonin's voice and the use of his real name had Kakashi turning back around and closing the window he'd been about to leap out of.

"Maa…" He murmured. He slipped the mask off and ran a hand through his hair.

"I was looking for him. He wasn't at his house, like he should be. I found him out if the forest with a _Konoha_ chunin about to stab him." Ibiki met angry grey and red eyes. The jonin knew that tone of voice only because he'd been around the younger man for years. The rage and bitter hatred were more than enough to send most shinobi sharingan swirled slowly. It would be a foolish ninja who crossed an angry Sharingan no Kakashi, and a suicidal one to aggravate the Hound. "The damned trator was spouting all kinds of things." Ibiki jerked his head towards the hallway and started walking, trusting the other man to follow. "Crap about how Naruto was a monster, a demon. He told him about _IT_ and then claimed he was going to 'kill it with his own hand'" Ibiki growled.

"I trust you have the trator contained?" Kakashi's voice was overly calm still.

"Bull and Akino are keeping him till I send some others out for him." Ibiki nodded, kicking open the door to one of the spare bedrooms. He carefully set down his injured student and faced Kakashi.

"What did you tell him?" Kakashi glanced at the boy.

"The truth, at least about that. You know what I think about the rest of it-"

"I know. I agree that it is a load of crap. But, I somehow doubt that the elders and the Hokage will suddenly let you tell him more after all these years. I am hoping that eventually, one of the three of the will find out on their own." They shared a look.

"You'll watch him?" Ibiki had the good grace to let the wistful, pained question go without comment.

"I take care of my own." Kakashi nodded,once, then twice.

"Good, great. I guess I should… Bull might try to eat the bastard if I don't hurry up." The mask was replaced, and Hound left.


	27. Chapter 26

This one's a short one. Sorry about that. I'm currently sick, and trying to work too. I'll be going over the last chapter (25) soon to edit. Hope you all enjoy this chapter!

Ibiki treated Naruto's wounds in silence. There were several shallow cuts, some bruises, and a mild sprain. Nothing was bad enough to warrant a hospital trip. The stab wounds in his hands would need careful watching though. The jonin tucked his student in to the guest bed and left the room. The night was passed with little sleep. Across the village, the fury of an old man not yet past his prime roared. The Hound hunted in the dark.

Naruto woke slowly, a rather rare occurrence. Normally, sealing patterns, theory, and plans for extra training would rage the moment his brain turned on. Right now, he was warm and comfortable. He was distantly aware of something, maybe an ache or pain from training, but he kept on drifting. He was tired, like he'd stayed out way to late last night. That didn't make much sense. Shikamaru had insisted that they always stop training at a reasonable hour. He wanted to sleep, he'd insisted.

Naruto hadn't had to make as many trips outside the village lately with Shino's parents feeding the three dinner often. _Did I go out anyway? No, I don't think… I was walking. I didn't go back home._ His thoughts began to align suddenly. He bit back a wince as the skin on his hands suddenly burned. The tight wraps of bandages on his other injuries, especially his chest felt strange and foreign. A flair of panic, a jolt he hadn't felt this strongly since the day of genin exam, jumpstarted recent training.

Unknowingly, he mimicked the routine of many of the jonin and ANBU. _Stay calm. I need to assess. I'm mildly injured. I'm laying down. I'm not tied up. I'm bandaged. Not at a hospital, there are no noises or smells._ Ibiki had been drilling the three genin on this kind of thing for the past week. Naruto distantly thought his teacher would be pleased to know that the blond remembered the lessons well. Naruto tried to monitor his heart rate, knowing that some shinobi were skilled enough to detect changes. It was difficult. He couldn't tell how fast it was, his thoughts overrun with fear. _What happened, I was walking home, no. Wait, I went to the forest… then I was jumped. Crazy laughing, the chunin-_ Abruptly the memory of demented grinning and the words that went with it crashed down.

Naruto jerked upright and rolled out of the bed. His hard landing was ignored. The boy pushed himself into the corner of the unfamiliar room quickly. Panting, Naruto was able to lock down the panic. Shino's steady voice in his head reminding him that the Aburame understood him, would be there for him, calmed his emotions enough for him to order his mind.

 _I'm the seal container for the Kyuubi, so the Fourth used some kind of high level sealing… Ok, ok. So, not a monster, just a seal. That's why everyone, they… that's why. Ok, good, great. Now I know. Ok, good._ He bit back a shaky exhale. The brief thought of Shikamaru and Shino knowing about this was shoved back down.

The blond focused on his surrounding instead. He would worry about this revelation later. The bedroom was rather bland. There was the bed, sheets now half piled on the floor from his dive off of it. A matching dresser and side table in a light wood tone were the only of large pieces of furniture. A small ceramic lamp sat on the table, a braided rug lay beside the bed. Doors to a closet were closed. One window opened up the wall opposite to the door that presumably lead out. Naruto could feel one person nearby.

He was almost tempted to panic again, but something nagged at his 'sixth' sense, and Shikamaru had taken to calling it. A whisper, like the ones he'd heard the night before, tickled his ear. He couldn't make out the words, just the slight sound like the wind. He shook his head to get rid of the phantom sensation. A faint clatter of dishes from below heralded the set of footsteps that marched up stairs towards him. Naruto wasn't sure what to do. Hide, for all the good that would do in the small of a room, fight despite his injuries, or try to escape out the window- The door opened and his choice was gone. He sucked in a breath.

"You should have slept longer. Hound will wear my ear off if he thinks you aren't recovering well. Heaven knows he could use the same concern for himself." Ibiki, wearing _not_ his usual dark ensamble, stood with his hand on the doorknob. Naruto blinked. Casual blue trousers and a t-shirt. The Konoha bandana was still in place, but what on earth!?

"S-sensei?" He stuttered out. Ibiki stepped further into the room. Naruto gaped up at him. The whispers were back, but he ignored them.

"You know Hound?" Was somehow the first thing that came out of his mouth. Ibiki just shrugged.

"I do command ANBU." Naruto nodded. He knew that. He really did, but this was just _wrong_. Morino Ibiki was T &I head, intimidating, dark, and powerful. Not this comfortably dressed, mostly unassuming doppelganger. Naruto made to stand up, put weight on his hands and hissed in pain. Ibiki was scooping him up and dropping him on the bed before he knew it.

"Let me check those before you move too much." The jonin turned and left. Naruto sat still, looking at the slightly bloody bandages. What would his teammates think of him after this? There was no way he wasn't telling them. He'd promised, no secrets. The three of them were working so hard to fit together, to make a team. He wouldn't be the one to destroy that with lies. Not now, after he'd told them nearly everything else, revealed his masks from the Academy and his fears. It wouldn't be fair. He would tell them, probably today. Ibiki walked back with a dull grey metal box. He sat it on the bed and flipped the lid open. He unwound the bandages on the smaller hands and dabbed at the dried blood with a damp cloth. Naruto winced, both from the pain and the sight of the injuries. Ibiki started to talk quietly, more quietly than he had in several weeks.

"Would you like to tell me what happened?" No pressure, just an open question. Naruto sighed. He supposed Ibiki already knew. The man was old enough to have experienced the Kyuubi attack. The boy huffed, gathering his thoughts as much as he could.

"Uh, I was out walking in the trees, I didn't want to be at home. Then Mizuki- he's a chunin- he came at me out of nowhere. I didn't even feel him near by. Then I tried to fight, there were some jutsu went back and forth, and then… Uh I guess he got the better of me. Then h-he was… He stabbed me. Then Hound-san showed up and I g-guess I passed out." Naruto avoided the details for now. Ibiki just frowned and started fitting Naruto's account in with Kakashi's.

"And what he said to you-"

"I-I know about _It_ now. The fox, I mean. M-mizuki told me." The jonin just nodded.

"Right. If you feel up to it, I have food on the table. Come down whenever you want. I have your teammates doing some other training today. We won't be having our normal routine." With that, the jonin packed up the box and left the room.


	28. Chapter 27

Yay! I got it all finished! Thanks so much for all your well wishes last week. I'm doing much better, my allergies were really bad for a few days there. Hopefully this chapter satisfies you all. I know some of you have been looking forward to this moment for a long time. Thanks for reading!

Naruto sat still for several minutes. He ran through an exercise to calm his nerves. _Count five things I can see… The bedspread, the tree outside the window, uh the rug, and the dresser and lamp. Describe them…. So, the bedspread is blue, soft. The tree is… green… Yeah, and the rug is red and blue and brown, it looks new. The dresser is boring… No, it has eight nobs. The lamp is off, it's made of glass._ He breathed deeply and then took stock of himself. He was still wearing his clothes from the day before. The vest was torn and bloody, as were his pants. His wounds had that dull, warm quality that was always present when he was healing. Shino had said that he recovered quickly, and Naruto wondered if that was what the warmth was. Nothing hurt to much, so he turned his attention to his thoughts and memories.

He fitted in the new knowledge of his seal into his memory. All the times one of the villagers and some of the chunin teachers had called him a demon made so much more sense. He'd have to tell his team, he couldn't keep this from them and who knew? They could probably come up with all kinds of information he couldn't get to. The idea of giving the two boys who'd quickly become Naruto's sole sanctuary a reason to withdraw from him terrified the blond. He didn't know what he'd do if they did hate him. The trust they shared would be shattering if it broke. Or at least to Naruto it would be the end.

He would have to rely on that trust to get through the next few days. Reluctantly, the blond stood and ventured out of the room.

Shikamaru Nara had used his unexpected day off to solidify his theory. He'd checked everything he already had again, and then gone out to get more information. Hospital records, daily reports from the Hokage's secretary, and a few other details had all fallen into place. He'd copied everything down into a single scroll and then made his way to the Aburame lands. Shibi was out on a mission, but Shino was easy to find. The bug user was running and practicing giving off chakra pulses. It was one of the routines Shikamaru had devised for him and Shino to grow their chakra reserves.

"Hey, take a break?" The Nara called out. Shino nodded and joged over to him.

"Hello, my friend." He panted lightly. "What brings you here?"

"I found something. It's pretty important, about Naruto." That had the other boy frowning.

"Yes, I have heard some things this morning from my bugs. Mother went in to the office for something just before I received the message from Sensei. It's a bit coincidental, is it not? Logically, larger village events should have little to nothing to do with out training. And yet, our meeting was canceled, Naruto has not appeared here, and Mother had to attend to some legal duties. It strikes me as odd. Why? Because my kikaichu have found residue of their favorite chakra in the forests, not in the training grounds, and they also found a few other odd signs." Shikamaru frowned. He'd wondered at the abrupt shift in their schedule. It hadn't been a priority to the brunette.

"Yeah? We can work that out later. Can you take a look at this, and then tell me what you think?" He handed over the scroll.

It was one Naruto had made, keyed to their chakra. They'd decided to keep all their training information and research secure, and the blond boy had spent several nights on perfecting the chakra seal. The other two boys had been impressed with the work. Now they each had half a dozen of the things to use. Shikamaru hadn't wanted to risk anyone else getting their hands on this if it meant what he was sure it did.

Shino had take the scroll and was carefully reading through all the documents and timetables layed out. His eyebrows crawled higher the longer he read. He closed the scroll with a snap.

"You must realize what this means…" He muttered lowly. "This is… There is much I don't understand. THe Fourth is one of the heroes of the village. For something like this to have remained unknown this long…" Shikamaru nodded.

"Yeah, I thought so too. It's something, I mean, it must have taken a lot of effort to hide this, before and since then. Troublesome, but I suppose there were some pretty extenuating circumstances." Shino stood.

"Come in. I need some tea to talk this over. He needs to know."

"Yeah, I just wonder what it'll do to him, when we tell him."

Naruto was more off kilter than he'd ever been. Ibiki- head of T&I and ANBU commander should not be wearing house slippers and sweatpants while wandering around his kitchen. A bowl of cut fruit and some toast sat on the table along with two sets of dishes.

"Sit down and I'll put on the rest." Naruto just kept his mouth shut and picked a chair. Miso soup, rolled omelette and seared fish were placed on the table before Ibiki set a small teapot down and took the other chair.

"Itadakimasu." The odd pair quietly went through their meal. Naruto was half eager, half afraid to ask about the night before.

"S-so, the Fox, how many people know about…?" Ibiki sipped at his tea before answering.

"It started off as a open secret. The Fourth wanted the Jinchuriki- that is the person who holds a tailed beast- to be seen as a hero. The masses didn't understand. Sealing is like some kind of magical parlor trick to them. Something that can make a flash and a bang, and not a powerful art with vast applications. They hadn't been aware of the previous jinchuriki, and in the aftermath of the attack most people were too angry and afraid to listen to explanations of the seal. Sarutobi made your existence an SS-class secret after the matron at the orphanage tried to let in a mob to go after you. Most of the chunin and jonin understood enough about sealing and jinchuriki to be at least tolerant of you. The younger ranks however…" A dark look passed over the jonin's face. "They were only children at the time, but they grew up with lies in their heads." Naruto nodded sadly.

"Mizuki seemed really twisted and bitter."

"Yes. The Third hoped that you would fade from people's minds if they couldn't dwell on it, or at least that you could be close to some of the children your age, but people can be quite creative when they want to avoid something." Naruto just shrugged.

"It doesn't matter anymore." Ibiki remained silent for a moment, considering.

"You know, the rule was that only the Hokage, and the Jinchuriki could tell others the secret. You can chose to talk to whomever you wish to. Sarutobi knows about last night, Hound gave him a report after he dropped you off here. You may speak to your old sensei or our team if you wish." Naruto poked at the last of his soup and hummed noncommittally. Ibiki let him be.

"I have some housekeeping at T&I to take care of today. You are welcome to stay if you want, but I'll be out most of the day." With that, he stood and put his dishes in the sink and left the kitchen. Naruto finished off the last of his food and cleared the dishes. He was gearing up, he wanted this mess all out of the way as soon as possible. He quietly left the house, not wanting to explain to his sensei.

He took to the rooftops and quickly navigated to his apartment. He tossed his bloody clothes out and hurried through a shower. He re-dressed and then paced for a few minutes. Finally, he took a deep breath, and then left his room. He went by the Nara's house first, but found only Yoshino Nara there. He'd kept out of sight and took off through the woods to the Aburame land next. He found his two teammates outside in their customary spot by the pond. He dropped out of the trees at the edge of the clearing and walked up. Shino had a halo of insects fluttering around his head and Shikamaru was gazing up at the clouds. Shikamaru turned to watch him approach.

"Hey, you alright?" Naruto was happy to see the normality. He was practically jittering with nerves.

"Ah, y-yeah. Almost, anyway." Most of the cuts and bruises were gone. Only the wounds in his hands and chest remained, and they were only shallow now. He plopped down between the to others.

"You are injured? What has happened?" Shino reached out to examine his hands.

"Er, well… Its a bit of a story…" Shikamaru sat up.

"There is something we need to talk about." Naruto was taken aback.

"Uh, ok? I have something to say as well…" He scratched at his head. "You go first." The two dark haired boys exchanged a glance before Shikamaru started in.

"We have both been looking in to somethings for a while now. We wanted to find out about you, and your past." He hurried along his explanation. "We wanted to help, and once we knew that you didn't know about anything, we just kept looking." Shino joined in.

"We have found checked over many old records and pieced together some information from twelve years ago that pertains to you." Naruto had gone white. _What are they talking about? Did they somehow find out about the Fox? What…_

"Your father was the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze." SHikamaru blurted, seeing the loose of colour. "Your mother's name was Kushina Uzumaki, and she was a jonin." _Oh,_ was all Naruto could think. The words rattled around in his head, disjointed. _Father, Hokage, Mother… An Uzumaki?_

"Oh… ah, ok." He mumbled. Shikamaru carefully explained further.

"I looked through records from just before and after the attack, and put together all the bits and prices. Your family purchased a small estate, and then Kushina took leave a few months later. The Third's wife- she was a medic- was attending to her. There were other things too, but they are more difficult to explain." He watched the awed look on Naruto's face fade to confusion, hurt and then deep understanding. The blond huffed.

"Well, that makes everything more complicated…" Shino chipped in.

"Uzumaki-san came to Konoha to aid Lady Mito in something, I believe they called in jinchuriki." Naruto choked on a laugh.

"That makes so much more sense now… Ha! I mean really…" Shikamaru frowned at the odd reaction.

"Naruto? What were you going to tell us? Is it about last night?" The blond sighed. Time to face the music.

"Ah, yeah… well, do you know what a jinchuriki is?" He asked. Shikamaru narrowed his eyes. The blond boy wasn't making sense. Something was definitely going on.

"No, I couldn't find any mention of it beside a few off comments connected to Lady Mito." Naruto nodded.

"Hm, well a jinchuuriki is a human vessel used to contain a Tailed Beast, like the Nine Tailed Fox." He closed his eye, he couldn't see them when the understood… "I guess it runs in the family, I mean, Kushina Uzumaki was my mother right? Well, she was the previous holder of the Kyuubi. And then I got it after she- after the attack."

"You mean to say that you somehow contain a chakra beast?" Shino asked quietly. The Aburame was recalling all the mutters of 'demon' and 'monster' the villagers directed at the boy. Naruto flinched.

"Yes. Complex seals are used to contain the chakra inside a living being. It's apparently the only way to keep them contained, and you can't kill them, not really." Shikamaru understood those reactions now. The paleness and the subtle withdrawn posture were somewhat expected. The Nara decided to ponder the vastness of secrets being kept in this village later, and instead try to reassure their blond teammate.

"Seals huh? I mean, you can do some pretty amazing things with seals. I had no idea it went that far." Naruto cracked open one eye. The other boy looked pretty unconcerned. "Guess that just makes you even more likely to study hard huh. I'd want to know all about that kind of power. To trap a tailed beast inside a person to the point where it is noticeable… That's something else." Shino nodded.

"Indeed. Pondering the level of master that must require, we should investigate the Fourth. Perhaps you can find some of his work on seals. I'm sure he must have been a master." Naruto felt tears prickle at his eyes. The non-reaction almost hurt. He sniffed and stared down at the bandages on his hands.

"You guys…" He whispered, voice choked with emotion. "You have no idea what this means to me." Shino reached out to touch his shoulder, mindful of his possible skittishness.

"You are our friend. It does not matter if you are a holder for the Kyuubi. I see only a genin, my friend and teammate." Naruto sobbed, a single loud cry, and then dissolved into silent tears. Shikamaru just grinned ruefully.

"Guess this means I don't get to watch the clouds today. Man, this is such a drag." He laughed then and flopped over against Naruto. "We will just have to train all day since Ibiki cancelled the regular stuff. And, you still owe us an explanation. Don't think you can get away with leaving me to figure this all out on my own. Do you know how many pages of ridiculous nonsense I had to go through to find the stuff about your family? No way am I doing that again!" He poked at the sniffing boy. Naruto took one look at the scowling Nara, the stoic Aburame and then himself all sprawled out on the ground near a pond in the forest and burst out laughing. He might not know what the future would hold, but he felt, here in this moment, that nothing could be better than this. He and his team would make it through anything together.


	29. Chapter 28

Hello all, I hope you are all still enjoying this story. I'm so excited to reveal some stuff that's been cooking since I first thought up this idea a year and a half ago. Yay! Enjoy. (Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.)

The next few days brought the three genin even closer together than ever. Naruto had a renewed sense of calm and a firm surety in his friends. He'd smiled more in the past few days than he'd thought possible. The desire he felt to be the same kind of friend- always there, helping in whatever way possible- was what had brought on his newest focus. It was two things to focus on, really. On the one hand, the three of the wanted to work on their team combat. They'd been getting better, tighter. But all three thought that there was still too much room for growth. Naruto had tried making formations on his shadow clones, but they were far too fragile to be useful in the high speed, intense drills they wanted to run. The idea for improving his clones came the day after the revelations about his past.

"So, if your parents both used seals, it must mean that they had a teacher or something to learn from." Shikamaru had stated out of the blue during their afternoon training. Shino paused to listen.

"Yeah, I have one book from my m-mom. It's a great next step in sealing." Shino had just raised an eyebrow, his implied question understood.

"Ah, see, I told you about my collection of scrolls? Well, it turns out there was this ANBU that was leaving them for me. I don't know why. I only found out who left them a few weeks ago. I guess maybe he knew my parents or something, but it's hard to ask, cause of.. Y'know." The other two nodded.

"Well, is there anything else in the books about creating jutsu? I know that the Fourth used some kind of seal combined with a jutsu to create the Flying Thunder God jutsu." Naruto had frozen at the foot of the tree he was attempting to climb with chakra. His mind _leapt_ with ideas. Parts of the clone jutsu and sections of durability seals flashed behind his eyelids.

"Oh, oh this is great… I can try running the matrix on my hands… that could combine it with the jutsu, or would a ground based lay out be better?" Shikamaru sighed.

"When you are back with the rest of us, do share your mad plan. I'm sure it'll be troublesome, but with you, it could be a good thing." Naruto had just plopped down and unsealed a scroll to hold his mad ideas as they rushed through his head. They were unable to draw the boy out of his focused state until late that evening. Naruto came up from his haze to find Shino shaking his shoulder.

"-uto? Naru- oh. I see you are paying attention now?" He just yawned and nodded.

"Haaa… Yeah. Sorry. Time to quit now?" Shino helped him up.

"Yes. We are done for the day. I think you should also be heading home now. Why? Because you always work too hard if we let you stay by yourself. Therefore, you should not train alone." The admonishment was well deserved. The times they left him by himself, he tended to stay out till the early hours of the morning. One day, he'd spent the entire night working on tree walking. Naruto just huffed and agreed with little comment.

"Yeah yeah. I'll go home. Tomorrow, I might need to duck out a bit early. I need to get some chores done." Shikamaru huffed. Well versed in the nuances of Naruto-speak, he knew that meant venturing out into the woods outside the village.

"You know you could just let Shino or me get you what you need." Naruto shrugged and muttered under his breath. The other boy let it go. Baby steps might be better for the other boy on this topic at this point.

Shino finished packing away all of his kunai and lead the way out towards the village. Late summer sun gave a red and gold glint to everything. A quietness that was rarely present in Konoha seemed to have fallen. The three were quiet until they parted ways, when they exchanged brief goodbyes.

Naruto had been patient, walking slowly with his two friends, but now that they were gone, he took off. He used his newly gained skills to hop and bounce off the buildings and roofs around him to get back to his apartment within minutes. He deftly disabled the traps and seals on the window and climbed in. He discarded his training gear and hopped in the shower for a quick rinse off. Five minutes later he sat down to start working on his theory. He set out sheafs of plain white paper and his normal ink.

A deep breath in, and he started laying out his first set of matrices. The brush _flowed_ through the complex interwoven symbols easily. Naruto grinned sharply when he finished the first set. If this worked, it would be his first major breakthrough with sealing. Sure he'd condensed a storage seal together with a durability seal for his scrolls, and yeah, there was that thing with sealing chakra, but this was on a whole different level. This, what he was trying to do, was an uncharted territory. His light was on till late that night, as he refined and redesigned his seals.

He woke the next morning with a slight headache. Four hours of sleep would do that, he supposed. Nonetheless, he was up and out of the apartment with time to spare. At the training grounds, in the dawning light, he'd worked some more on the seal. The first practical test hadn't gone well. Naruto had decided to call it a night after that, lest he make a stupid mistake due to tiredness. _Now though,_ he mused as he read through his notes. _I just need to make a couple of adjustments to the connections on the chakra-balance filter, and then strengthen the durability…_ He was lost in thought soon.

Shino arrived next. Shikamaru might have gotten over his chronic lazy attitude, but he still wasn't as early of a riser as the other two. The Aburame had peered over Naruto's shoulder after he ignored the quiet greeting from the taller boy. Both he and Shikamaru had taken the time to skim a basic sealing book after they'd found out Naruto practised the art. Intelligent as they both were, neither had been able to grasp the concepts very well. The mass of markings and squiggles on the scroll in the blond's lap were far outside of his knowledge. Shino smiled slightly. He could hardly wait for someone else to find out about Naruto's gift. Of course it would have to be in the right situation. Ibiki-sensei might put a stop to their training if he knew. They knew that they were going far beyond the sphere of genin techniques with their private study, but none of them cared. Ibiki was strict though. He was methodical and thorough, and Shikamaru had been the first to admit that he might not like his training schedule being altered. Shino wanted to impress the man though. And Naruto- Naruto could do with some admiration and positive attention from the masses. _Chunin exams would be a good place to expose out ability, take the other teams by surprise. Yes, logically it would be a great advantage. I will pose the idea to Shika and Naruto soon._ Checking the time, Shino sighed. Ibiki would be arriving soon. He'd have to interrupt Naruto's work. A tap to the shoulder was enough to break his concentration this time though.

"Huh? Ah, hey Shino." Naruto smiled and sealed his scroll into a second scroll he kept on his belt.

"Greetings. You are making progress on your idea?"

"Yeah, I only tried one version, and with this it will take probably dozens of tries to get it right. My apartment wasn't exactly the best place to try out experimental jutsu and seals." The Aburame nodded.

"Yes, I suppose not. You shall have to take the time to explain what exactly your are trying to do later." Naruto grinned, a light in his eyes.

"Totally! If it works, I'll be super happy." Shikamaru slouched in to the clearing and yawned.

"Haaa… Man, I hope we aren't doing endurance training today… I spent several hours going through jutsu scrolls last night. I found some to work on though." He yawned again. They sat and chatted about nothing and everything while they waited for their teacher.

Ibiki walked in to view a few minutes later. The jonin barked a short command.

"One on three, go until I catch all of you. Now!" The genin darted away as quickly as possible. This was one of their favorite training activities. It was hard, to go up against a jonin and not show off all their progress. That was part of the challenge.

They practiced together in their after hours training frequently. Strategy was critical. Naruto was the fastest, and had the best stealth. Shino was best at avoiding Ibiki, due to his kikaichu hive. Shikamaru could use the shadows of the forest to his advantage and come up with the most detailed plans on the fly. They had worked out a number of patterns and movements to coordinate and change during a mission or battle such as this.

The improvement of the shadow clones was again in Naruto's mind as he darted through the trees at top speed. Ibiki was accustomed to tossing pebbles and sticks at any Naruto he saw before wasting a weapon on what was possibly only a clone. If he could succeed, the clones would be much more usable in battle. He ducked under a low tree branch and caught sight of a shadowy figure in the trees off to the left. It's hand flicked up and to the right, Shikamaru's signal. He sharpened his gaze, the shadows becoming more clear. _2-3-2-1-6_. Naruto gave the _ok_ sign and took off to find Shino. Of the three of them, he had the best chakra sensing ability, somehow being able to peg the faint feelings as individual signatures and then track them.

Shino was closer to Ibiki, which meant that Naruto had to be quick and quiet. He grinned sharply. He hadn't been able to sneak around the village playing pranks of anyone who he felt like annoying for no reason. Few people aside from those involved even knew of some of his pranks. The ventures into the Jonin standby station and ANBU headquarters were two of them.

ANBU hadn't been able to catch him. Ibiki often couldn't either. The blond crept closer, still going at nearly top speed, branches and leaves whipping past him. Shino had kikai out, he'd seen four already, so the Aburame might know he was coming. Naruto did his best to keep his presence small as he dropped down beside the other boy and repeated the plan Shikamaru had made. Shino gave the ok signal and headed off. Naruto stayed put. They were going hunting.


	30. Chapter 29

'Hunting' meant that they would take control of the drill and put it in their own playing field. They would gather information to use, and then come up with a way to use it-and their combat skills to take Ibiki by surprise. Or at least they would try. Shino started sending out scout kikai while Shikamaru and Naruto began lacing certain areas of the training ground with traps and snares. Shadow clones would help to distract Ibiki and lay more traps. Then the three would be retreating from the field entirely to start reconnaissance.

It wasn't _exactly_ within the rules of the drill, but it also wasn't explicitly _against_ the rules eather. This was a loophole the Nara heir had pointed out after the first instance of this practice drill. The three had been planning and training various maneuvers and attack patterns for weeks since then. This would be the maiden attempt for their plan. The village was fairly large, and there were any number of areas that they knew Ibiki wouldn't be able to fit in as well as they could. There were also some tricks that they'd be using.

Traps set and a network of bugs laid, the three genin crept away from the area in three different directions. They would be meeting back together at a small park next to the market. The park was not heavily wooded, but there was a large dip in the grass and brush near the back edge that was not visible to the naked eye. There was enough room for the three of the to hunker down out of sight. The location had no connection to any of them, nor was it centrally located between any places they frequented. All in all, it was not a place you'd expect people to meet up.

It took nearly ten minutes for them to regroup. Shikamaru was the first one there, and he sat and thought, running through ideas quickly while he waited. Naruto and Shino arrived together. None of them said a word, working with precision.

Naruto quickly unsealed four scrolls from his larger storage scroll. The first three contained extra clothing. The fourth one had stacks of premade paper seals. There were all kinds, exploding tags of various kinds, barrier seals, freezing seals, and more. Naruto grabbed a couple from one stack and placed them on Shino's bare forearms, over the largest chakra point there. Naruto pulsed a tiny bit a chakra into the seals to partially activate them. The writing on them lit up faintly. Quickly Naruto dipped a fine brush into a tiny pot of ink and added a few more lines to the seal. He blew gently on the ink to dry it and then pushed more chakra in to it. Shino shuddered when a tingle ran through his whole body.

The seal was designed to mimic a transformation jutsu. It altered one's appearance, but as it was not an active chakra use, it was hardly detectable, nor could it be disrupted with chakra. Shino's would make his skin a tone darker, his hair longer and his eyes a sparkling hazel, all features that were common enough in Konoha to fly under the radar. The Aburame quickly shrugged out of his coat and shoes and slipped on a blue long sleeve shirt and soft boots. His thigh pouches were emptied and the weapons tucked into the shirt. He shifted then, taking up a position to watch for any approach to their hiding place.

Shikamaru had taken his spot and Naruto was finishing his seals too. Shikamaru would look more like one of the Hyuuga, with longer brown hair and pale eyes. It wasn't enough resemblance to get him undue attention, just enough to remind anyone who saw him of the prominent clan. He then pulled a light coloured robe and pants out of the pile and changed. The robe was styled to look androgynous. That, along with his now long hair, it would be difficult for anyone to tell if he was male or female unless they talked to him. Naruto was now putting seals on his own arms. His would make him look like a younger boy, with red-brown spikey hair and blue eyes. His skin would be pale and he'd be shorter than he was now. His new clothing was a pair of shorts and a white tee-shirt with a hooded jacket on top.

Shino sent out a few kikai to check the area while Shikamaru visually scanned the park. Naruto packed away his seals and the extra clothes and then reached out with his 'sixth' sense. Pricks of chakra were all around, but none of the close ones were strong enough or controlled enough to be trained ninja. He gave a quick flick of _safe, not close_ to Shikamaru who turned to Shino. The Aburame had his head tipped to the side, paying close attention to his hive. _Good, go_ , he motioned.

Now came the next step of their hunt. They would each be going after different targets that would serve various purposes after they re-grouped. Shikamaru would be going after information via the records available to the public. He'd be trying to find more information on Ibiki that they would use for leverage or just to have a better read on the man. Shino would be going through the village slowly, leaving hints of them here and there to lay a false path. He'd also be keeping an eye out for any useful gossip on the civilian side as well as keeping track of Ibiki when the jonin left the training area. Naruto, as he had the most experience with stealth, was taking on ANBU.

He'd be sneaking in ANBU headquarters for whatever he could find and then just waiting until Ibiki found him, Shino sent a kikai to get him, or someone else noticed him. It was a bit of a long shot, their whole plan, but Shikamaru seemed pretty confident that if they had enough resources they would be able to much more accurately target their teacher. Plus, as Naruto and surprisingly Shino had put it when they finally decided to come up with this plan, it was much more fun to screw around in the village than it was to train in the forest all day.

Once everything was set and they'd double checked, Naruto took off first. He leapt to the trees and quashed his chakra as small as he could get it. He didn't know how much other ninja could sense like he could, but he didn't want to risk it. As they'd discovered, he had massive chakra reserves due to both his heritage as an Uzumaki and the Fox.

He didn't go directly towards the Hokage monument. He wound around the streets, quickly, but keeping to a child's' speed. He peeked into stalls at the market here and there and then turned his steps to take him ever closer to the secret way in to ANBU headquarters. He took about fifteen minutes of wandering before he had started making his way closer. The blond-turned-red-head took to the trees again and went a ways in towards the mountain before stripping off the seals and applying different ones and changing clothes.

This time he was the same height, but had short, light brown hair and a set of dark clothes that were a mix of grey, green and black. He kept his Konoha hitai-ate visible but had a grey gauzy scarf covering his face. He crept closer at a steady, but relatively slow pace. He kept his senses stretched to the max, noting any and every movement of even the smallest chakra signature. It would exhaust him after a few hours, but it would help ensure he didn't get caught on his way in.

Once inside, he could tone down his sense and focus on the area around himself. The entrance to the headquarters was in view now, Naruto having passed the farthest centuries. He sat still and waited for ten minutes just to watch and wait.

A patrol pattern he'd observed once before became evident. He briefly matched it to his memory. Sure of where people were and where they were moving, the boy slipped to the ground and accessed a small hollow tree. He fit easily, though he'd grown in the past few years since the last time he'd done this. The tree was situated over an old aquifer that was half collapsed. The underground water way was natural, and it wasn't totally dry yet. When it rained, it would fill with water and mud only to slowly dry some time later.

Naruto was glad it hadn't rained in weeks. The ground was only damp and slightly muddy. The tunnel lead both closer to and farther away from the underground ANBU base. He had to crouch down to fit through the beginning part of the tunnel. It was slow going, but he made it about four yards down the tunnel before he came to the area where the aquifer would have become impassable without the use of jutsu. And Naruto _was_ going to use a jutsu, just not a particularly hard one. The transformation jutsu was one of the first ones taught to pre-genin. It took very little chakra and was difficult to sense because of that.

Naruto had tested it with Shino and Shikamaru last week. He could hardly tell that they'd used the jutsu, even though he'd been watching for it. He felt reasonably safe now, as he focused on the shape he wanted to take. A small snake would do for now, as it could get through cracks and go up steep inclines fairly easily. Later he would try being a small rodent, maybe a mouse or hamster. A few hand signs later and a small brown and green snake was slithering through the underground passage towards a basement room with a leaking drain.


	31. Chapter 30

This chapter is a bit bigger than the last few. Some people have asked about pairings, so I'll just say now that I have no plans for any parings at this time. There are a few other questions people have asked, but I am hoping to answer most of them with the new few chapters. Enjoy! (Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me, I make no profit from this work.)

Shino wandered slowly through the crowds of people. He felt quite odd without his coat and glasses. They had tried this particular fuinjutsu technique out before, for a whole day. Shikamaru and Naruto had insisted that they test the longevity of the seal before ever using it in a drill or in the field. Shino had understood the logic of that but he still felt out of place. He walked easily though, keeping his shoulders loose and his stride varied. He kept his ear out for anything interesting.

They'd be meeting up at four if nothing else interrupted them. He had the least intense part, but he would also be the most likely to be caught by their teacher, as he was in an area that genin were _supposed_ to be. He was going to do his best, and logically, it was going to be hard for anyone to find them. Naruto's seals and their personal training had given them an edge over their jonin in this drill. He didn't know what they were capable of. The Aburame grinned and moved off to another area. He stopped at a small bench and sat to compile his findings on a small notepad. After tucking the notes away, he set off again.

Ibiki was glad things were settling down in life. The investigation into Naruto's situation was nearly finished, and after Mizuki's debacle attempt at assassination, the lower ranked shinobi and many of the civilians had gotten the message. The Hokage was quite wrathful and was dealing with things more firmly than he had in years. Anko was still occupied with her… guests, and that kept her out of his way. His genin were still doing well. Naruto hadn't even seemed phased with his new knowledge. Yes, perhaps being a teacher wasn't as terrible as he had thought. His kids were thriving.

This time, he was planning to take them to get a mission, and not just a piddly D-rank. An easy C just outside the village would be a good segway into more serious missions. He strode up to the training area and barked out his command after noting all three of his students. They took off, like he expected. They had a good grasp of the basics already. It pleased him to see the three of them working together. He gave them a minute to start before he went after them. The jonin crept through the trees, keeping an eye out for signs of their passage. A few scuffs on a branch- Naruto, he moved fastest, and a crumpled patch of grass and leaves- Shino, probably paused to get his bearings, lead off in two different directions. Shikamaru would then also be on a different trajectory. The jonin stopped to listen. Nothing. He smiled. He had fun playing games.

Twenty minutes later, the man was getting a bit frustrated. He didn't want to be forced to try harder to catch the brats, but it was shaping up to be more work than any of the other times they'd run this drill. There were very few signs of anything. And what there was didn't lead him anywhere. There were too many trails made by shadow clones that overlapped others. And then he'd walked by a trap. He noted it before he actually set it off, but it hadn't been as easy as he'd like. Traps, stealth, false trails and some form of previous maneuver planning were clear as day to Ibiki. Genin were not supposed to have this kind of skill, and he wasn't entirely sure if he liked knowing that he pushed them towards this.

"Come on now, this is getting old." He grumbled and amped up his speed. A flick of movement had him turning to see Naruto- or possible a clone- taking off from a lower tree. The boy was using stealth but not enough to escape his notice. A stick sailing through his head cause a pop of smoke. It was a clone then. Ibiki trained his eyes more on the vegetation and land. A few more traps were set in the bushes and trees. The area was searched, but it was a dead end, likely to keep him distracted. A second, lower trail lead on to the ground. Possible Shino of Shikamaru, as they both had advantages on the ground. He dropped down to follow it.

Another twenty minutes later, Ibiki had decided that Naruto knew far far too many was to lay traps, and Shino had too many kikaichu and Shikamaru must have been more speedy than he realized. Forty minutes, _FORTY MINUTES_ and a highly capable decorated jonin in his prime still hadn't caught even one genin. To say that Ibiki was pissed was an understatement.

The Jonin had combed every inch of the training ground by now, and uncovered nests of traps set up as decoy bases, dozens of tiny swarms of bugs, and about twelve shadow clones. No genin, and increasingly fewer signs of them were found. Ibiki had even searched for high level jutsu that could be used to conceal one's self in the earth, stones or trees. Nothing. Not even a hint of chakra at this point, which meant that there had been very little to start with.

The man ground his teeth and returned to the central area they met at each morning. He had to think, to process the information he'd gathered and come up with possible leads to follow. He started at the bening and catalogued everything he could remember. With his years of training, that was quite a lot of details. He remembered the look the three had shared a split second before taking off. Recognition, or agreement. Then they had quickly moved to distance themselves from him. A plan was in place. They were thinking things through, so no direct confrontation.

Then they split up. Again, a plan. The traps and few signs of movement. Diversions. Shadow clones. A distraction. He recalled feeling slight movements near him a few minutes after they took off, but they were quick and never got too close. He didn't understand that one. There had been no trap in that area. Perhaps it was recon? Shino sending out more insects could have been that close only to move away again. He'd think on that one. There there were more traps, and more shadow clones, then nothing new. He went over each detail from a different angle, plying possible means and motives to each action he observed, directly or indirectly. More careful thought and his conclusion was…

 _Damn, if they did… Damn it._ The best he could come up with was not something that made a lot of sense to him. They couldn't be in the training area any more. They had to have left some time ago, and left the traps and clones as a decoy. But _why on earth_ would they do that? Taking training like they did out into the village wasn't a good idea, and at least Shikamaru would think of that. But there was practically no way they were present anymore.

Ibiki decided he'd do one more sweep and then head out to find any signs of his apparently very whiley students.

Shikamaru was glad once again that Naruto seemed to have no idea what seals weren't supposed to be used for. Without his invention, this would have been much harder. With a stable, simple disguise in place this king of short term infiltration was much easier. He had sidled along, taking on a meek, quiet expression, keeping his eyes lowered and walking with slow precise steps. It wasn't hard to make his way to the records office. He'd spent enough time here since he became a genin so walking in and smiling lightly to the career genin at the desk and signing _visitor_ in the non-checkout ledger was easy. It was why he had been given this target. He already knew where he was going and what to expect. There was no hesitation or other tells to mark him as suspicious to anyone watching.

He headed back towards the open shinobi records. It wasn't much, most of the really helpful stuff would be locked up in a back room. What was available were mostly things like school records, some tax information, land purchases, and records pertaining to the laws. He would check this first, before making his way into the shinobi records. He spent an hour pouring over anything he could find about Morino Ibiki.

Their teacher had graduated at age ten, and then made chunin at fifteen. He had no living family, though a brother was listed as presumed dead. He owned a house, though the address wasn't listed and he had no contact with any of the lawmaking process as he was not from a prominent clan. Tax records indicated that he was highly active now and had been since he made chunin.

Shikamaru put away the last of the files he'd pulled and then carefully checked the area. He was in an open area, without windows. Tall bookshelves and a few small tables filled the space. A sleepy looking old woman and a frustrated middle aged man were the only other occupants of this room. He supposed most people would rather avoid taxes if they could help it.

The door to the shinobi section was locked and warded. It lay behind the last row of shelves in this room. One had to get past the genin at the front desk and then a pair of chunin at the second story to gain access to this room, and the only way to open the door safely was to have the chunin come up with you.

Shikamaru and Naruto had come up with an idea, after Shino mentioned that his kikaichu could pass through barrier seals sometimes. Shikamaru would be using a shadow technique he'd found in his family archives. It allowed one to slip through shadows to move from one area to another. Normally it didn't work indoors, as natural light was required. He'd tweaked it enough to manage to hop a few inches at most inside. A few inches was all he'd need to get on the other side of the wall.

With the other two people paying him no mind, Shikamaru got up quietly and walked to the down stairs door. He turned around the shorter bookshelves that were on this side of the room and ducked to make his way under the windows and past the tables back to the rear of the room. He used all his training to make no sound. Once in the right spot, a foot to the left of the door, he prepared for his jutsu. With the way the heavy door opened, this side of the door wouldn't have any filing cabinets on it, so he should only have to pass through about six inches of wall to get inside. He went through two sets of breathing kata before he even drew up the necessary chakra and went through a string of fifteen hands signs. He closed his eyes and stepped back as he simultaneously released the jutsu.

A rough jerking sensation worried him. But when he ventured to open his eyes, a dark room filled with metal cabinets labeled with letter-number patterns greeted him. No sounds could be heard. The Nara stood still while he took stock of the room. There were no visible traps, alarms or seals. He remained standing for fifteen minutes, checking his watch to be sure. He had no idea how long it would take for someone to come check if an alarm had gone off. Fifteen minutes seemed safe to him. He spent those long(horribly, boring, tedious) minutes figuring out the code used to mark the cabinets. He was good at coding.

He got to work quickly. He had to be thorough, but he also wanted to get out of there soon. The jutsu was hard on him, and he could feel a low burn in his belly and his head that would morph into a full on migraine after he got back out. Two times was his limit, and he'd down right require a snack and a short nap before he could function. After he got back out he'd have about five minutes to get somewhere safe before he crashed hard. He found Ibiki's non classified mission file easily and flipped through it, picking out bits of information that they'd been trained- by Ibiki- to look for. Signs of weaknesses and details that would alarm or bring discomfort to the target.

After the missions, he went after his personal file. _The brother thing is great, but maybe a step to far for training. No, but this…_ _Hayate Gekkō was on his team as a genin. That may be a good place to start. Hm.. Interesting._ Shikamaru grinned and closed the file. He had enough for now. With what Naruto would bring back, if no problems arose, they would have a variety of tools to use. As Ibiki had told them, information was a weapon for their comrades. He replaced everything and checked again for any seals or traps on the inside of the wall before gathering his chakra and pushing through the shadow.

The room was still quiet, and the genin found it to be empty when he snuck back around the shelves. To get out quickly, the disguised boy went for the direct route. It was easiest and least likely to get him caught, as it was guaranteed that he'd be seen. He smiled sweetly at the chunin and had to fight a grimace as the younger of the pair blushed. Shikamaru didn't think he would ever get used to being mistaken for a girl.

He walked with the same measured pace outside the building. He could feel his head starting to pound and his stomach was twinging too. He paused, playing his role fully. A glance at a large clock mounted outside the cafe across the street had him pretending to start.

"Is it really that late? Oh dear…" He mumbled and then hurried off. THe boy took refuge in a busy tea house. He took a table in the back and ordered water and a small meal. As soon as it arrived, he took a pill for his pain and started in on the food. He had a while to kill here while he regained his chakra and energy. He would work on a few more details for their plan while he waited. The Nara boy had a sharp flair of pride that he'd managed to get in and out of the locked archives. It was hardly the most secure target, but for a first real test of his skill, he was definitely happy. He had to ignore a pang of worry. He didn't know for sure that he had gotten away with it yet, there was still time for him to be caught or lured into meeting with the rest of the team.

It could be that an ANBU was just waiting for him to make one more move before they hauled him in to T&I. And that didn't cover all the things that could have gone wrong with Naruto and Shino. _I can't focus on that. It's a mission. I do my part and trust them to do theirs. If something happens, we keep going until there are no options left. That is life for a shinobi._ Resolved to keep with their self made mission, the Nara boy focused on relaxing and breathing exercises to regenerate energy faster.


	32. Chapter 31

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, and make no profit from this work.

Ibiki was a potent mix of angry, intrigued and frustrated. His genin were definitely not in the training grounds anymore. He had even checked the four areas that bordered theirs. Nothing. He had to circle around their area for a while before he was able to distinguish three separate tracks that could belong to his students. Again, they branched off in different directions. He decided to follow what he determined was Shino's trail first.

The Aburame was the least likely to take off on his own. Naruto could come up with wild but effective plans on the fly, as shown by the traps and pranks he orchestrated. Shikamaru could think of detailed strategies with multiple branching scenarios easily. Shino was far from incapable, but he was more steady and logical. He would go for a more predictable route and he wouldn't ditch the other two.

The trail was slight, they boys had all been doing well with their training. But Ibiki wasn't a jonin for nothing. He hardly had to slow his jog to keep an eye on the trail. It lead him through the village, and though he lost it a few times, he ended up outside a small park. It wasn't in an area that was particularly busy. There were a few patches of trees and shrubs with tall grass dotted around the swings and sand boxes.

Ibiki circled around the perimeter and found a second set of tracks that stuck out to him. They were a close match to Shikamaru's. The pressure points on the heel and the length of the stride were very close. He couldn't say that it was certainly the Nara's but it was enough to have him cautiously venturing into the park. He followed the trail to a section near the back where there was a section of grass and taller brush. The second trail also entered the bushes and there were slight signs of a third disturbance- likely Naruto. The jonin already knew that the three genin were no longer in the bushes, he'd have noted them if they were. He moved forward slowly and almost fell into the sudden dip in the ground. It was nearly invisible. The grasses were the same height as the rest of the area and there were no hills or dips anywhere else in the park. There was only a faint hint of chakra left.

The marks left in the branches and on the ground told him quite a bit though. Shikamaru had been first to arrive. He had been still, then moved after the others joined them. They stayed crouched down, only shifting their stances a bit. There were marks from a scroll and then fabric of some kind had been laid down. _They likely put on some kind of disguise, changing clothes or adding false features. Clever. What would their goal be? Why take off like this?_ The only thing that seemed to be their style was a simple shift of location. They may be attempting to draw him out and go after him on their own terms. A surprise attack was easier if they were not in an area he expected. But, it seemed to easy and simple. That didn't sit well in his gut. They should be more capable than that. And the effort to take their drill outside the parameters so far for such a small advantage seemed off. He frowned and set off to find and trace their paths out. This was going to inspire him to give them more… unpleasant training assignments in the future.

Shino was having more fun than he'd imagined. He was still wandering about the market. Occasionally, he'd use a kikai to lay down a spark of chakra on a wall or rooftop. The chakra was from Naruto and Shikamaru as well as himself. He had a limited supply of all three, so he carefully placed only a few false trails before he stopped and went back to just wandering. He had noted a few things of interest but mostly the Aburame had been keeping an eye out for any sign on their sensei. So far, he was doing a good job of keeping focused on playing his part and not thinking to much of the logical possibilities of failure, and the margin of error they each had.

He especially worried about Naruto. Shikamaru could get into trouble for breaking in to a sealed records library, but Naruto was going to an area where questions wouldn't be asked. ANBU were known through all the shinobi villages for their dealyness and unhinged tendency towards violence. If someone were to catch the blond, it was possible he wouldn't come back out of it alive. _It is fortunate then, that we are dealing with these kinds of thoughts now, in the safety of the village. What if we were in the field with these kinds of fears? We would be functioning at an unacceptable level. No, best to get over this now, work out more strategy and gain peace with ourselves before then._ The boy moved off again, and had to tightly control his reactions. A kikaichu was returning information. Ibiki had left the training ground. He was moving at a normal civilian pace, which meant that he was tracking them. Shino had to take a deep breath. Now it started for real.

Ibiki was mildly more impressed than irritated right now. The trails were hard to follow when they wound around the village, where countless other sets of tracks and chakra signatures overlapped and concealed the three he was after.

Little bits of their chakra were barely detectable throughout the village. Roof tiles and a few higher walls had touches, like they'd been running with the aid of chakra. He suspected that they had learned that, but this was the first proof he had. The footprints were almost a lost cause at this point. Paved streets didn't take prints as well as grass and dirt, and they had changed shoes once. He had no idea how many layers they may have added to their disguise.

Shikamaru was definitely capable of the multi-step thought, and Naruto could come up with layered traps and pranks with little effort. So, it was likely that they had already changed disguises.

The jonin cursed his lack of attention again. With his training and experience, this should never have happened. He was to watch and groom the three young ninja placed under his command. There should have been no way- or need- for them to learn anything beyond what he was teaching them at this point in their lives. It wasn't like they were chunin who had to seek out their own implement methods. Why and how had they gone and gotten these skills? How far did it go? The interrogator was going to have to pay far more attention to the little buggers now.

He was currently scanning the swathes of people who were bustling around the market. A possible trail of both chakra and prints had lead him to this area. So far he had seen two pickpockets, a merchant watering down the spirits he was selling and two women ogling men. There was nothing that hinted at his genin.

Despite the missions he had been training them on, Ibiki was unsure of how well any of the kids could act. Being a different person was often the hardest part of an undercover mission of any kind. It was one of the reasons only ANBU when into deep cover missions. That kind of thing could really screw with your head. Genin could hardly be skilled enough (unless they were hiding _that_ from him too) to fully implement a persona.

He was also keeping an eye for anyone the rough height and weight of his genin with any hint of shinobi walking traits. The gait of a ninja was difficult to hide. Of course, with many retired or off-duty shinobi, that was a bit harder to weed out. A boy with shaggy brown hair and hazel eyes that was watching him from a bench by a food stall. Ibiki supposed the gaze could be because of his reputation or his scowl. The boy didn't have the right facial structure of skin tone to be any of his students though. The man huffed and kept moving.

Naruto was careful as he slithered his way through tight gaps and damp tunnels towards the drain pipe he was after. It was how he'd gotten in to the base last time, and as far as he knew, no one knew about it. He did have an alternate plan if it was guarded or blocked. However, everything worked better if it was still open. His senses were still stretched as wide as they would go. He could feel the patrols continuing in their pattern as well as a few people moving about in the buildings he was headed for. He kept his breathing calm and steady. If he didn't there was a risk of the transformation jutsu faltering and causing problems.

It had happened more than once when he was still in the academy. It helped, all those breathing exercises Iruka-sensei had suggested for his anxiety. That with all of his time spent on chakra controle were a big boost. A sharp turn to the left and a three foot drop signified the start of the old pipe he was planning to use. The blond paused again to sense the area as much as possible. He slowly eased out of the crevasse he was in three minutes later. There was no chakra on or around the pipe. He loosened the transformation and regained his disguised form.

 _Breath, relax for a few minutes, then in. This will be fun._ Taking on the shape of a field mouse was easy. Then scampering up the pipe and poking his twitching pink nose out of the loose drain was a cinch. He did his best to mimic the movements of a mouse. This kept him in the shadows. The room was an old shower room, with tiled walls dividing each shower. The drain Naruto had come up through was in the left corner of the room. A damp mildew scent hung in the air. A few cracks across the tiles gave the floor a jagged appearance. There were no lights on, and the boy could only attribute his sight to the heightened senses he gained from being a jinchuriki. He crept forward and made his way across the tiles to the door and squeezed under it.

Out in the corridor, there was far more light. It was still dim, as befit a secret base hidden underground. Naruto squeaked once softly, again to mimic a real animal. Then he scampered off towards the door he knew lead to a hallway that branched off into several larger areas. He could feel chakra, bright and condensed at this close of a proximity. The boy decided on a whim to take a right turn towards the barracks. He wasn't sure what to expect, gossip, mission detail, technical information, who knew. Shikamaru was the linchpin in that part of the plan. He just had to bring in the raw information. Shino and Naruto could come up with something if they had to, but it wasn't their strength. Shikamaru was much faster and more thorough. Naruto was better at coming up with split second ideas that were remarkably effective, or slow, detailed plans. So Naruto would just scout around for whatever he could find without putting himself in to dangerous a position.


	33. Chapter 32

Hello! Sorry for the long delay, I started college classes right on the heels of a family member's health scare(He's doing well, thanks for all the concern and generosity). This chapter is a bit short, but I didn't want to leave you all hanging any longer than I had to. Just a quick note about this chapter. A section in it has some hints at a rough interrogation. Nothing is explicitly shown, but if you are bothered by it and wish to skip it, let me know. I'll either mark sections in the chapter to skip and when to start again, or give you a summary of the important parts.

(Disclaimer: I do not own or profit from Naruto.)

The grey and white corridor was empty, but he could feel three chakra signatures in the larger room around a corner. He recognized one of them as an ANBU he saw at the Hokage tower frequently, one of the ones who stuck around the Sandaime's office. So half of the Hokage's guard was off duty right now. Perfect. They might be exchanging gossip with the ANBU who tool missions outside the village. He made sure to skip around out in the hallway before easing his way inside the room.

It was a common room, with two sofas, a counter with dishes and a tiny two burner stove. Two closed doors that lead to barracks could be seen on opposite walls. A bookshelf and a few tables were set aside in on corner. There were no windows, of course, but the lighting was warm and bright. There were only the tree ANBU inside at the moment. A bird, cat and bear were their animals. Naruto made sure to skitter around the edges of the room and take cover beneath one of the chairs by the corner tables. There was a large carpet covering the floor that helped damped the sounds of his movement. The three shinobi were talking in hushed voices.

"-more details sent out towards Rain lately. Hokage-sama must be worried about the slow pace of the official correspondence."

"Yes, I heard about that. What about the new batch of three man genin cells? I heard they put Hound on one, and he passed them." Bear, the one Naruto recognized, shifted on the sofa. Naruto was interested in this now, for more than just their training mission. Hound was someone he wanted to find out more about. Bird answered.

"Sempai did pass them, and so did Ibiki. I don't know what either was thinking. Kids are too much to deal with."

"Hound might have some edge over Ibiki. He watched that one- you know- all the time." Bird was sniggering.

"Ah, just the thought of Ibiki with kids makes me crack up. I wonder if he's had to send them to the Yamanaka yet. Inoichi should have expected it when he and Shikaku helped set up the teams." Cat flipped her hair behind her shoulder.

"That's true, but I heard he got and Aburame and a Nara. Those two might be more stable." Naruto half hoped something interesting would be said about their team, but nothing more was said on the topic. Cat departed after fifteen minutes and Naruto snuck out to another area.

The corridor that contained the dozen or so holding cells was guarded by four ANBU, spaced out along the straight hall. Grey tiles lined the floor and the walls were unmarked white. The cells were a mix of normal holding cells, and more… uncomfortable rooms. Some of them had seals scrawled along the doors. One the boy recognised as a chakra containment seal similar to the one he had shown his teammates. Others were new to him, and he had to focus to keep from getting sidetracked.

Two more overheard conversations later and Naruto was re-thinking their idea. Most of what he'd heard had nothing to do with Ibiki, their team or anything even close. _I don't know what I expected, but this is turning out harder than it sounded. I hope Shika found something better. This might be a major bust otherwise._ Naruto hung out in the holding area for a long time, listening to the quiet murmurs of the guards as they passed each other on their rounds. Nothing else was of use to him.

After deciding that he was wasting his time, the boy moved on to the interrogation area. Creeping under the door was impossible, as it was a completely sealed door. He had to wait for someone to open it before he could hurry through. It took only a few seconds, surprisingly. Two ANBU swept through the door, flicking hand signs back and forth rapidly. Naruto ignored them for the most part and snuck into the hallway that held the interrogation rooms. It was silent, eerily so. If not for his chakra sensing abilities, the blond would have thought the area was deserted.

Suddenly screams rent the air. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end. The sound was unearthly. A shrill, pained noise like nothing he'd ever experienced was accompanied by a slow steady pulse of chakra. A genjutsu, Naruto realized after what could have been seconds of minutes. The scream continued. It echoed through the tiled hall. Naruto squeaked and scampered down the hallway.

" _Oh my g- No, this was definitely a bad idea. I never expected this. It didn't register what I was doing! This is so bad."_ As he moved closer to the sound, hoping for a way out, a low voice started talking under all the screams.

"So, you do know how to speak." It was a woman. Naruto didn't know what to do. The corridor echoed, even soft sounds were amplified greatly. This was not something he should be privy to. The woman continued, all soft and cold, like the kiss of a knife's edge. "See I thought that you faceless, nameless types were taught not to speak, not to feel. And here you are. You can feel the pain, and you can scream. So tell me, what about those scrolls you took? Hmm? Why did you try to burn them? It should have been obvious that it wouldn't work." There was a pause in the screams, just a moment, a breath. Then a croaking raw voice spoke up.

"I must not b-betray… the mission. For… for the good of Konoha…" There was a wet, dull sound followed by a gasp.

Naruto felt slightly ill now. The intrigue he felt at the line of questioning was all that kept him rooted to his spot now halfway down the hall. The woman chuckled over the dripping of what was undoubtedly blood.

"Don't feed me that crap. Destroying confidential files and mission requests does not protect the village. It protects your boss and his interests. If you care so much about the village, why did you kill two of our jonin and send three chunin to the hospital? Hmm?" A viscous edge had entered the woman's voice. "Those three chunin were desk workers, they didn't stand a chance without the jonin to get them out." A thud, metallic resounded, then crisp footsteps. "Let's see if you'll talk after this."

Screams, louder, echoed and bounced around in Naruto's head. The door at the end of the hallway started to crack open and he ran for it. He didn't even care if he was caught. So long as he got out, _let me out, no more screams, it hurts!_ he didn't care what happened. He darted under the foot of the ANBU coming through had kept on running until he was in a well lit area with desks and several people in standard Konoha uniform. Distantly, he recognized the area as the Interrogation office bullpen.

Inoichi Yamanaka sat at one of the desks writing absentmindedly. Another man, this one with bland features and an irritated scowl was flipping through a file containing photographs. It was quiet. Only a few shuffling papers and quiet breathing could be heard. The boy hunkered down beneath a potted plant and closed his eyes. He felt like a mouse right about now. His body was shaking and he could feel a cold sweat just now fading. _This is not- not good. I can't do this right now. Shika and Shino had better have more information than me._ A whisper started up in the back of his head. _"It's hard, isn't it? Seeing how the world can be. You learn how to deal..."_ The boy shuddered again, feeling odd about the thought. It was true, and he was starting to be able to calm down and think about the situation a little bit more. But there was that odd tone that he sometimes noticed with it as well. Naruto shook his head, eyes still closed. He'd think about it later.

He was in a precarious situation now, and he needed to focus. He could understand what the woman had said now, out of the deafening screams. Someone had tried to hurt Konoha, his home. He would have to talk to Shikamaru and Shino about it and see what they thought. He'd see what he could find in this room and then leave.


	34. Updating Soon!

A quick announcement for you all: I will hopefully be updating again next weekend, Oct 14th~ish. I apologize profusely for leaving you all hanging for so long. I have had a crazy month, with a death in the family, tons of college homework, being sick, and other family complications. After midterms, which are this week, I hope to get back to a more even keel with life and get back to writing. Thanks for sticking it out with me, and I hope you continue to enjoy my story.

DarthGumdrop


	35. Chapter 33

Hello! I finally( finally finally...) have an update. Yay! I hope it is a good one. I feel so terrible about not updating for so long. Hopefully, you all enjoy it. I will do my best to get back to a more regular schedule, but I can't make promises. Sorry! (Disclaimer, I do not own Naruto.)

It was calm, almost too calm after the nightmare in the hallway. Naruto found a desk, near the Yamanaka and settled under the chair. He was shaking, but he felt almost distant now, a bit numb. This- this plan, his trip to ANBU, it was all a debacle. He didn't know what had possessed the three of them. To come up with such a plan and the expect it to work… No. He'd be getting out as soon as possible. Shino's bugs hadn't come to alert him of any change in the plan, but he'd find one or other of them easily enough. His senses would take care of that for him. _You want to get out? Then move. The dangerous ones are coming back._ The thought ran through his head, echoing slightly.

He still felt numb, but the words made him shiver. What was going on with him? This kept happening. The weird voices his thoughts could take on was new, and he didn't like it. Ibiki had them reading about psychology and he was sure that voices in one's head were not a good sign. Right now it was too much to handle. He shut out the thoughts. A whistle, shrill in his sensitive ears, was his only warning to move. He curled backwards farther under the chair just as a senbon _tinged_ off the floor, embedded halfway in.

"Ha! You missed the mouse! I win the bet." A loud voice, or was it just Naruto's hearing, sounded in the otherwise quiet office space. Inoichi coughed and stood up.

"Lizard, Tanuki, you're both late. I need your debriefs now. It can't wait."

"Ma… If you say so. I think we made it back in good time…" Naruto could hardly believe his narrow scrape there. It was definitely past time to get the hell out.

He looked around and spotted a door that didn't go back the way he'd come. It wasn't a sure way out, but he'd risk it at this point. The boy-turned-mouse was lucky. Out in the hallway he found another open door that lead up a flight of tiled stairs. After he went up the steps, he found a low air vent that lead to a disguised grate on the surface. It was a challenge to get up to the vent as it was set more than a few inches off the ground, but he made it after a couple of tries. He was less familiar with where this one went, but he'd take being lost outside to being stuck in the underground building any longer.

Naruto made sure to take his time, despite being shaken and developing a nasty headache. He wasn't going to be caught this close to making it a clean getaway. He stretched out his senses and felt for any chakra, spending five or six minutes at a time checking for any patrols or other movements. There was nothing. He made his way through the pipe vent and scrambled up to the vent. It was metal, connected to an old statue of the head of civilian council. The thing was rusty and weighed a ton. Naruto distantly wondered if anyone had ever tried to move it. He hung around the grass and weeds that clung to the base of the statue, even picking up some of the fallen seeds and nibbling them. The first bite almost made him sick, strung tight as he was. After enough time doing this, he scurried off to some bushes and changed his henge quickly into a rabbit. He then hopped quickly away. He took a random path around the woods before finding a quiet enough spot to regain his human shape. The henge stung his skin and joints slightly as he disengaged it completely. He sat still in his disguised human form for longer than he should have, shaking and holding back dry heaves and nausea from the stress struck.

 _What the hell,_ He'd winched to himself. _This has never happened before. None of my pranks caused this kind of reaction. Those screams were… bad, but this seems over the top._

 _You just aren't used to such high stress. This was a mission, something you could be truly punished for doing, not just a child's game. Had someone discovered you, it might have been seen as treason._ There was that other thought, the voice that didn't sound quite right. The boy shuddered and pushed himself upright. It was time to get this over with. He was more than done with it. He'd talk with the other two, but this was _not_ something to repeat. There were better ways to get the upper hand on their sensei. He leapt to the treetops and headed for the shopping plaza where Shino was to be waiting. He would have to watch out for Ibiki along the way though.

Shikamaru was back up and around after a good rest. He'd even meditated- the best he could do in lue of sleep- for a good half hour. He'd rested a total of two hours. He could feel his chakra reserves building back up. They weren't 100% yet, but it was a useable level. He had smiled politely as he'd paid for his food and then went on his way. He would work on finding Shino and discreetly head for their rendezvous spot. Then he would start exchanging information with him and working up a more precise plan.

The Nara boy still wasn't sure that had really been a good idea. He was feeling no small amount of paranoia on the heels of his breaking and entering. And to top that off, he had doubts to how effective this was all going to be. Sure they'd be able to catch Ibiki somewhat off guard if they came at his out of the village, but the man was a jonin, and Shikamaru had had a nice long look at records. Now that he really thought about it, it didn't seem to make much sense for three genin, advanced though they be, would be able to best someone of his caliber. The genin supposed that it was a good thing they tested this in a more controlled situation.

He was wandering through the market, slowly examining goods here and there, still in his Hyuuga-esque disguise. He was keeping an eye out for Shino's disguise, while maintaining a normal pace and excluding ticks that would give him away to an observer. He hadn't noted any kikaichu yet, but if he could find one, he could send it back to his teammate. The central area of the market was busy, with people rushing through. There was a drone of voices, mixing the shouts of vendors and the hum of customers. Then as Shikamaru was leaning over a stall with framed sketches and paintings, he felt the sudden drop in air pressure. He did his best not to freeze.

The cold, buzzing energy that crept in was a new, and wholly unappreciated experience. The boy jerked when it got closer and he was able to identified it as chakra. More precisely it was concentrated anger mixing with chakra. And unfortunately he recognized the chakra. The boy slowly edged around the corner of the stall before turning to look around. The rest of the street had also sensed the drop in pressure. There was a tense hush. Shikamaru found Ibiki stalking through the street, a blank look on his face. He was walking slowly, not turing from his path. Shikamaru felt a chill run up his spine. _This is bad. I've never seen him like this. We miscalculated this. There's no way this will work out in our favor. We can't do this._ The boy couldn't help the cringe that came out when the jonin's gaze swept over him. It might not have been a bad thing though. The civilians near him also flinched. _I need to find the others, and fast._ The boy quickly moved away and down a side street. He still kept to a normal pace, but he was more focused on finding his team.

Stalking through the center of the market area was a pain. The people stared and shied away from Ibiki. He supposed the aura he was projecting at this point was closer to killer intent than was strictly professional of him. Four and a half hours, the genin had evaded him. Four and a half hours was four hours and twenty minutes longer than he had expected them to hide from him. The more the jonin had thought, the more frustrated he became.

In more ways than one, this should never have happened. Three twelve year olds should never have had the skill to avoid a jonin. The planning and practiced execution of the evasion techniques was far more advanced than the material he had been teaching them. There were aspects of his instruction in what they had done, but there was much more there. Clearly Ibiki needed to take more of an interest in the three boys. He had thought that after the incident when Naruto was attacked, they were becoming more of a team unit. It appeared now that they genin had splintered off on their own.

From what he had gathered so far, it seemed that they had studied evasion and dispersal techniques. They had advanced chakra control to be able to get around leaving minimal traces behind. They had also worked on unit maneuvers, as there was no way any one of them had done all of this on their own. He could read aspects of both Shikamaru and Naruto in the plan.

Naruto would be the unpredictable one to come up with the idea. Shikamaru would then have analyzed each possible step and the outcomes of each action. Shino would have been the one to temper and connect the two. The Aburame had developed a close loyalty with Naruto, likely due to the outcast nature they both shared. He no clue as to why they would have taken off for so long though. He would have thought that they would wait an hour or two at most to set up and ambush him. He had found little to no trace of them throughout the village so far, which lead him to his current combing of the market, as well as his current mood.

The civilians were shrinking away from him. The street which had been lively was now tense and quiet. Shoppers as well as merchants were hushed and some even cowering. One Hyuuga standing by a photo booth seemed to freeze before turning away. The jonin scoffed. It wasn't an unusual reaction to his presence, but it still irked him.

He took another quick glance around before moving on. He hated to do it, but he might just have to talk to Shikaku and Inoichi about this. Both men had profiled the genin, and the Nara clan head should know about his own offspring. They might both tease him relentlessly for a while, but he couldn't exactly give up his specialized team now. No, he would find them, and then they would all be having a nice long _talk_ afterwards.

Naruto was hurtling through the trees, an aching head and a sick feeling in his gut. He had honed in on Shikamaru, who was closer. Shino was in the center of town, and would be harder to get to. Shikamaru was in a quieter market area, where lots of side streets connected with pockets of wide markets. He could sneak in and get the Nara and then find Shino. He was emotionally exhausted, and he had a bad feeling about the voice he kept hearing. He had purposely not focused thought on it right now, but the nagging feeling that something wasn't right kept coming back. He huffed and moved faster. He didn't want to death with this right now.

As the blond neared town, he slowed to an almost agonizingly slow pace. He walked through the streets, keeping his senses strained. It almost hurt to keep them open in such a crowded place, but he'd felt Ibiki near Shikamaru earlier, and he couldn't risk being found now. He wouldn't be able to keep this up for too long, as with his wide range sensing. But, he could find his teammates and get back to a safe area.

Shikamaru had moved on to a shop selling cloth. He had picked up and examined about ten different bolts of cotton weave when he felt a touch against his back. Resisting all his instincts to lash out was hard, especially after seeing Ibiki. A quiet voice, sounding nothing like his teammate, muttered a short phrase.

"Geeze, Mom didn't say which one she wanted… Aw man." Shikamaru turned and glanced at the small boy behind him. The boy had red-brown hair in rumpled spikes, shorts and a hooded jacket. Shikamaru kept his face neutral.

"Excuse me young man." He included a slight sniff to his tone and turned away with a distinct upwards tile to his nose. Naruto would follow him from a short distance. Depending on which way they went, they might have to split up to keep from being noticed.

They ended up at a quiet street with multiple alleys. Naruto ducked down one ahead of Shikamaru to quickly alter his disguise. He flattened his hair and switched shirts, making his appearance more proper. Shikamaru snuck to his position after a few minutes, using slight shadow jutsu to remain undetected. Shikamaru sighed when they faced each other.

"This is a bit of a mess." He muttered. Naruto nodded.

"I know. We made a mistake with this." He rubbed at his head to ease the slow throb. "I just want this done right now. I think we need to get back out of the village." Shikamaru closed his eyes, rapidly running through the possibilities.

"That… could be a good option. I don't want to try this in the streets. We also need to be able to think and re-calculate for a while. That part could go to plan, but I think the rest may change." Naruto nodded.

"'Kay. I'll get Shino, you head to the meeting place. We'll be there in…" He paused to check distances. His senses were getting tenuous after the hours of use and stress. "... twenty minutes tops." The Nara reached out and grabbed his shoulder.

"Be careful." Naruto smiled wanly.

"Yeah, you too." He slipped to the mouth of the alley. "See you in a bit."


	36. Chapter 34

Hello! (hides behind Naruto, Shikamaru and Shino) Look! I brought them all back! Sorry for the long wait. College life got the better of me, but now I am finished for the semester, and I have been diving back into writing! Here is an update for you all! I hope to be updating again in a week or so, but I can't make any promises! Thanks for your patience. Enjoy! (Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or profit from this story.)

 _Last time..._ _"_ _This is a bit of a mess." Shikamaru muttered. Naruto nodded._

 _"_ _I know. We made a mistake with this." He rubbed at his head to ease the slow throb. "I just want this done right now. I think we need to get back out of the village." Shikamaru closed his eyes, rapidly running through the possibilities._

 _"_ _That… could be a good option. I don't want to try this in the streets. We also need to be able to think and re-calculate for a while. That part could go to plan, but I think the rest may change." Naruto nodded._

 _"'_ _Kay. I'll get Shino, you head to the meeting place. We'll be there in…" He paused to check distances. His senses were getting tenuous after the hours of use and stress. "... twenty minutes tops." The Nara reached out and grabbed his shoulder._

 _"_ _Be careful." Naruto smiled wanly._

 _"_ _Yeah, you too." He slipped to the mouth of the alley. "See you in a bit."_

Finding the Aburame was easy with his senses. He'd have a massive headache for hours after this much time using them, but he wasn't sure he cared at this point. Shino was walking slowly through the isles of a bookstore. Naruto was able to open the door loudly, and march over close to the other genin without raising to much attention. Shino of course looked up at the noise and the familier chakra his kikaichu sensed.

"Shh!" He hissed, keeping in character. Naruto, in the guise of a younger boy as he was, acted it up. He started babbling quickly, tossing in specific words to signal his teammate.

"Ah, sorry, but I wanted to look for a book. Or I mean… a _comic_ , and it's supposed to be out. And I wanted to _bring_ it to my sleepover _tonight_ , but _Mom_ is out running _errands_ and I only have a few minutes to look for it and…" Shino, having gotten the message held up a hand.

"Alright. Whatever." He walked away and left the store. Naruto huffed and bounced around the store for less than five minutes before the shopkeeper shooed him out. Shino had waited for him and followed subtly behind the other boy as he made his way quickly through the streets. They twisted and doubled back a few times, and took parallel streets several times as well. Shino could read tension in the form of the other boy. He would have to wait and see what he and Shikamaru had found before forming a conclusion. Why? Because he had no other way to gauge the situation logically.

They slowed and carefully approached an old house on the outskirts of a neighborhood close to the training grounds. It was a rental house, but currently empty. Naruto paused only briefly to check the area before creeping behind a pair of shrubs that hid the old storm cellar door. It didn't make a sound when opened, no doubt Shikamaru had oiled the hinges before entering. They climbed down a ladder into the musty cellar. There was only one other door, which lead to a small storage area. Shikamaru was perched on a barrel with a small flame lantern in his hand. He had changed out of his disguise, and back into his normal clothes. Shino noted how tense the Nara was. _This isn't looking good._ He thought. Naruto sighed.

"I'm going to change." He walked over to a corner of the small room before unsealing his clothes and switching the outfit. Shino did the same once the blond was finished. There was no other exchange. It was the Aburame who had to lead into the talk.

"I would like to hear what you two have learned." Naruto sighed, and ran a hand through his hair.

"I think we made a huge mistake." Shikamaru seemed to both tense further, and relax slightly. Shino didn't know what to make of it. Naruto was paling slightly, and he seemed even more on edge than he had when they had discussed the Kyuubi. "I- ANBU headquarter was pretty much useless, and I- They had a guest." Shino and Shikamaru paled as well when the heard this. Ibiki had talked about T&I, and what purposes if served. He had always referred to the prisoners they questioned as guests. For Naruto to have mentioned this, he had to have seen or heard something that he wasn't prepared for. Naruto was swallowing hard and pacing still.

"I got in and out unnoticed, but I didn't really get anything useful, and now, I have been thinking about this," He waved a hand at them "and I just don't think this is really going to work." Shikamaru nodded.

"I had the same thought. We didn't really think about how this would pan out. I thought of all kinds of angles, different steps, and all that. But I didn't factor in our limited skills." Shino sat down on the edge of a bench. He could tell both boys were disturbed.

"You do not believe that we are capable." Shikamaru looked up.

"Not enough, anyway. Ibiki-sensei is a jonin. I was looking at records, and there is no way we match even a fraction of his experience. We aren't ready. I didn't find much that was useful, and I didn't think about his reaction. I don't know if either of you saw him, but he's mad, more so than I have ever seen him before." Naruto sighed again.

"Yeah, I bet. I'm sorry for suggesting this." Shino shook his head.

"You may have suggested it, but Shikamaru and I thought through it with you and agreed to try it. I think we are all equally to blame. Logically, in hindsight, this was foolish. I admit I did think we could handle it before though. The question now is what we should do." A moment of quiet settled on them.

"I think our best bet is to go back to the training ground and set more traps. Just go for it like we planned that all along." Shikamaru reluctantly admitted. Shino stood back up then.

"We should wait a few more minutes. You both need some time to calm down. I can keep a lookout." Naruto flopped on the ground, disregarding the dust and dirt. Shikamaru leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes. Shino sent out a few of his kikaichu just to fly around. The low rustle and buzz was soothing, familiar to all of them after weeks of practice together.

The training ground was thankfully empty when they got there. Most of the traps they had set were down, but Naruto, with the aid of a few clones, was able to start on resetting many of the while the other two worked on other snares and traps. The damage some of the traps had caused likely added to Ibiki's bad mood. As they worked, Shino used his bugs to set false chakra clusters again, using small amounts of chakra from his two teammates. They wanted to get this done as soon as possible. Shikamaru was talking quietly to himself as he attached ninja wire to a set on senbon, running through possible outcomes and responses to them. They moved as quickly as possible, not knowing when Ibiki could return. Their plan had changed significantly, and they'd have to recalculate their coordination.

Back in the market, Ibiki had felt a tingle of the chakra he was after. The trail was fresh, and far more clear than it had been in almost two hours. It started in an area of the market, and lead back towards a housing area near the training grounds. Feeling vindictively triumphant, Ibiki followed it to the edge of the road, before he veered off towards the wooded training ground. He suspected that if the three genin had come this close to it, they would likely have returned to set more traps. He kept his senses tuned, and went at a fast pace towards the area. A few feet into the trees, he set off a trap.

Wires whipped around and snapped quickly as the trigger was released. The razor wire nicked the trees around the jonin as he sped past it. A slow hiss sounded as smoke filled the forest floor. Ibiki didn't trust it, what with the way Naruto could pull all kinds of ideas out. He was forced down into it shortly there after. A hail of kunai from one direction, bolstered with senbon from another pushed his path downwards. The jonin could have dodged most of them, but he was intent on getting this done as soon as possible. He would be having words with his students, and possibly the Hokage when this was through.

There were hints of chakra around, but nothing as bright as his genin would be. He set off in a wide circle, trying to hem in the genin. He encountered more traps along the way, ranging from snares and caltrops to smoke bombs and wired kunai set to fling in multiple directions. There was even a trap that cast a cloud of glitter into the air. Ibiki still had some of it stuck to him. He supposed it was nice to see a hint of Naruto's more mischievous side. He might have applauded the boy for it if he weren't so pissed at the three of them. He'd been moving around the training ground for less than a minute, already halfway around it, and there were still no real signs of the gening. He knew they were nearby. The chakra trail was too fresh for them to have moved to far away, and most of the traps were new. More time spent looking for them meant more ideas to punish them.

The first trap that truly surprised him, and caused a fair bit of damage was attached to a tree branch. He almost didn't see the slip of white paper until he had put his foot on it. Expecting another smoke bomb, he was thrown when the paper lit up with glowing red symbols and a shockwave erupted less than a second later. Ibiki was thrown sideways and he lost his balance as a series of smaller shockwaves cascaded around him. Flipping around as he fell to try and remain upright, Ibiki noted the dozens of glowing red symbols around him. _What the hell!? Are those seals? I've never seen anything like this before._ It was more than thirty seconds later when the shocks abated and he landed on the forest floor. He rolled to the side quickly, seeing another slip of paper. The jonin stood- but it was too late. A blast of light, raw chakra, and smoke covered the hail of wicked thorns that were cast everywhere by the explosion. Ibiki had shielded his face, but his arm and the back of his neck sported a few cuts and bits of thorn embedded in the skin.

A low buzz signaled Shino's entrance. A could of kikai descended on him, with their host following shortly behind. The genin went straight at his teacher, kunai raised. Ibiki growled and flipped a shuriken at him. The boy dodged it, changing direction mid air with some difficulty. Landing on a branch, the boy directed his bugs to attack the jonin. Ibiki, though his patients was at an end, knew better than to kill the insects. He could have used a fire technique, but that would have incited the anger of his student, likey the two other genin, and the Aburame clan head. Instead he started subtly casting a genjutsu. It wasn't a strong one. It would slightly alter the boys depth perception. Ibiki had trained with the three of them using similar genjutsu, but not this particular one. As he hoped, it was enough to make the boy stumble. Ibiki took the opportunity to dart forward and drive a senbon into a nerve cluster in his neck. Shino twitched, and then collapsed. The kikaichu returned to hover over their host. Ibiki leapt to the trees and then started on his circuit again, keeping an eye out for paper tags.

He came across several more traps, some of which were quite well done. Close to a more open spot, he encountered the other two genin. Naruto attacked this time, barreling out of the trees with several shadow clones at his back. A hail of kunai from the left gave away Shikamaru's position. Naruto kept up a barrage of taijutsu, using the clones heavily. He kicked at the jonin, though the blow was only glancing. Ibiki gave him a few moments to attack, after all this was a training exercise. Shikamaru kept up a random pattern of attack from a distance. Ibiki had no trouble dodging. Naruto pulled back for a moment, sending clones instead. Ibiki easily dispelled them. Then Shikamaru burst out of the bushes to join Naruto. THe pair used Naruto's faster speed with Shikamaru's more technical skills well. It wasn't enough. The jonin had had enough. He swept Naruto away from the Nara and flipped him into a tree. The blond hit his back against the tree hard, knocking the breath out of him for a moment. That moment was enough for Ibiki to catch and bind Shikamaru in ninja wire and administer a quick nerve pinch. THe boy slumped into unconsciousness easily. Naruto had stood back up and was braced for an attack by the time he turned back to the boy. That was good at least. Ibiki grinned before charging at him. Naruto blocked the first two hits, but the third connected. He went down silently. Ibiki huffed, still irritated.

The whole affair had taken less than ten minutes. Why on earth the genin took off, evaded him for four hours, and then hardly put up a fight was beyond him. He'd have to pay far more attention to them. Something was off. Sealing tag, the like of which he had never seen before, laid out in a highly effective formation, was _not_ something genin should be capable of. And they way they had slipped out form the training grounds, and then kept away from him for hours was incongruent with this attack. It wasn't well planned, and it had not accomplished much. He hauled the two unconscious genin up and started moving through the woods to their clearing. Shino was close to there as well, and it took him only a few minutes to fetch the third boy. He sat down and went through the whole day again, noting details and putting observations in place.

A few minutes later, the three genin stirred. Naruto woke first, unsurprising, with his extra cargo. He blanched and kept silent when he saw his jonin sitting above him. Ibiki noted that, and sent him a short glare. The boy looked down, guilty. Shino and Shikamaru followed shortly after. Ibiki let them stew for a moment. Naruto and Shikamaru looked the most worried. Shino was uncomfortable, but not as antsy.

"Well, my young menaces, we will be having a long discussion."

 _(Mwahaha! Cliffhanger!)_


	37. Chapter 35

Happy New Year! I had planned for this update to be out at Christmas, and it didn't happen. It's done now though! Enjoy.

(Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or make a profit from this fic.)

 _"_ _Well, my young menaces, we will be having a long discussion."_ He reached out and sat them up. Naruto, he noted, flinched violently. Shikamaru and Shino were just tense and resigned. "We will start with what the hell you thought you would accomplish with leaving the training grounds." He waited. Naruto exchanged glances with the other two before swallowing convulsively. The jonin was surprised that the blond was the one taking point. He was shaking, and seemed unaware of it. Ibiki suppressed a sigh. He was angry and frustrated, but he didn't want to damage his genin. Naruto especially had come so far.

"W-we wanted to catch you unaware. So.. so we thought that we… could, uh, find a way to get the upper hand with information gathering or… we something. I didn't work, so we came back, and…" He trailed off, losing more colour till he looked pale as death. Ibiki sighed and shifted to look at Shino, who still seemed the most calm.

"Explain." Shino turned to look at the other two before he started to speak.

"As Naruto said, we intended to gather information, set up an alternate encounter and catch you in a position where we would have an advantage. When we slipped away though, we were unable to find a way to gather pertinent information on a jonin, nor engage you in battle in a safe way. Thus we returned, because logically, our plan had failed due to short sighted planning, and we needed to regroup and attempt a second plan." Ibiki gave them all a flat stare. He would have to get more details out of them, but for now, he had a basic grasp of their idea.

"Why would you think that this was a good plan?" He glared down at the three boys. Naruto gulped, but spoke up again.

"It was my idea. I thought- It might be-be like a prank. I used to get ch-chunin to chaise me all over the place. I-I-I could get them to run into more pranks and traps if they weren't were they were used to being." Shikamaru touched the blond's arm slightly, just a brush of fingertips really. Naruto shut his mouth sharply. The Nara took up the explanation.

"We hoped that with you being caught off guard, we could find a way to turn the advantage towards us. We miscalculated how difficult it would be to gather information on a jonin, as well as how we could actually initiate a battle in the middle of the village. When it became obvious that we wouldn't be able to succeed that way, we attempted to come up with a second plan." The Nara was obviously uncomfortable, but he'd called somewhat. Ibiki leaned back. He recognized the posture that Naruto was giving off from his work at T&I. As much as it might give him gratification now, he wouldn't do himself any favors if he lost the trust his team had in him. Naruto especially, as he was turning out to be the leader of the trio. Reluctantly the jonin backed off somewhat.

"And what was the second plan?" Naruto didn't respond this time.

"Logic said that we should resolve the matter quickly. Why? Because our energy had been taxed, we realized our shortcomings, and your temper was raised." Shino intoned with little inflection. "We returned to set traps. When you arrived, I attacked first to give Naruto and Shikamaru some extra time to come up with an attack. They struggled to formulate a plan that would both keep them from injury, and end the struggle quickly." Ah, thought the jonin. That explains why they seemed so half baked. They weren't trying anymore. I'll deal with their punishment tomorrow. For now, I need a drink.

"I see. There will be more discussion about this tomorrow. I want you all to go home and write a report about today's… incident. I do not want a repeat of this." He let some of his left over irritation show. "Training will be kept to the parameters that are set from now on. This kind of move on a real mission would have been disastrous. I'll also be pushing your limits again. More experience will be necessary before we take a mission outside the village. Taking risks is a part of shinobi life, but you never overextend yourself like this." By the end, he was growling. All three boys avoided his gaze and kept silent. They knew he was right, but that didn't make hearing it any more pleasant. The jonin stood and turned away.

"You are dismissed for the day." The three genin sat still. Naruto hung his head and signed.

"I think that was the worst moment of my life." Shino shrugged.

"I am more concerned with how much he will be watching us after this." Shikamaru groaned.

"Ah man, this is going to be so troublesome. We may have to find other ways to train, or places to go that he won't notice us." Naruto nodded and rolled his shoulders.

"I think we should go ahead and find a spot to make out practice area. I can set up wards and seals to keep it safe." Shino frowned.

"Yes, our study and training could be compromised soon otherwise." Shikamaru shrugged.  
"It would get Mom off my back if we didn't train at home as much. We should still make sure to spend time at your clan's compound and mine." He yawned and folded his hands behind his head. Shino nodded.

"Yes. I will start searching for places to call our own." Naruto touched his arm gently.

"I think I should do that. I have less obligation to spend time with others. Aside from the time I spend with you at your house, or Shikamaru's, I am just at home alone. It's easier for me to slip away for a few hours to poke around." The other two genin agreed, then parted ways to return home to recuperate and finish Ibiki's assignment. All three had a new sense of paranoia after their 'mission'.

Ibiki carefully settled himself in his armchair by the unlit fireplace. The jonin was tempted to storm off to T&I and complain about unruly brats to Inoichi or join Anko in her interrogation. The more rational part of his brain held him back. He needed to remove himself from the thoughts of his genin, and his anger towards them. He noted, as he absently sipped at his black coffee, that he felt a sting of rejection from his brats. He had grown fond of them, being invested in their growth, both a shinobi, and as young men. For them to keep something from him, like whatever training they must have done on their own, was mildly hurtful in a way.

He would discipline them, mainly by working them harder and demanding more precision in all their drills. But he also wanted to start them on more serious missions soon. Their little plan had shown initiative, albit ill planned. He couldn't have them going to far in pursuit of more ideas that fell apart like this one had. Yes, the three boys would be making progress towards being real shinobi soon. Ibiki sat back and sipped at his tea. The man put all thoughts of his three boys aside and relaxed.

A week later, all three genin were exhausted, much like they had been the first week of training with their jonin sensei. They all had bruises, new blisters and an enormous amount of paperwork to go through. They had been given coded reports to decipher and analyze, data to compile, and each one had a technique to drill as well. Ibiki had kept up a steady stream of these assignments, making all three boys feel like they were back in Iruka-sensei's class writing essays about the past Hokage. Currently, they were at the Nara compound, sparring, and working to include their newest taijutsu kata into their sparring.

"This would be so much easier if we could be in two places at once. Logically, if we had a way to both watch our own spars, and fight part as a three man cell at the same time, we could all train at a higher efficiency." Shino huffed in irritation. I wiped at the sweat that dripped down his face from their sparring. Shikamaru, who was sitting this round out to observe, shrugged.

"I mean, you're not wrong. We could be working on out spot too, if we could all split into more than one body." He yawned. "There's little point in wasting time thinking about the impossible though." Naruto grinned.

"You never know what we could come up with though." Shino snorted, thinking of Naruto's earlier experiment with a storage seal that produced warmed water. It hadn't worked well on his ink vials though. There was still a hint of blue-black ink on the blonds face and hair.

"We should put it out of our minds for now. Why? Because Ibiki-sensei will be expecting us to have our analysis finished by tomorrow, and none of us have started yet." The other two groaned, but started back in with the spar.

Naruto paced around his small apartment, thinking hard. Shino's remark about sparring and being in two places at once had struck a chord in him. He'd already been thinking about ways to practice more effectively. He used the shadow clones to study at times, but neither of the other two could use the jutsu. _If I could find a way to let them borrow my chakra, or preform the jutsu for them, we might be able to be in two places at once. But how… seals can be amazing, but could they manage this?_

He sat down and started flipping through his loose pages full of half formed seals and matrices. He focused hard, thinking about what he wanted and how you could accomplish it. Eventually, he grabbed a brush and a blank paper and started to write. He carefully laid out each part of the seal in layers. Fifteen minutes later, he sat back and examined it for flaws. He saw none in the drawing itself. He wouldn't know how effective, or even function at all it was until later. This wouldn't be something to try in his apartment, or the training grounds. He knew how valuable this jutsu/seal could be if he got it to work. There were people both in the village and without that would desperately want the knowledge. Even if he didn't succeed, he didn't want anyone else knowing about it. Just the possibility of something that could give one of the ninja villages a edge could be enough, even if it later turned out to be a bust. Ibiki had given them enough grim reports to go over for this fact to be firmly cemented in his head. He wouldn't risk it. Instead, he'd go work on something else, before hopefully attempting his new seal.

Naruto gathered a medium sized scroll and a larger brush and ink pot he had recently bought nd packed them in a small backpack along with a sheaf of paper seals. He and the others had chosen a practice area to claim as their own. It lay adjacent to the Hokage monument, but away from ANBU areas. There was a small stream, a patch of large boulders, and a small cleared area, all contained between three massive weeping birch trees. An old sod house, partially collapsed, lay at the base of one of the trees. The low branches of the trees created a shield for the whole little glade. Shino, who had the most grasp of earth jutsu, had examined the little house, and found that it connected to a large hollow tree that was also buried. They had unanimously decided that the area was ideal for them to practice. Shikamaru had worked up a plan to fix the earthen building, and Shino had spent the past three evenings working on it. In that time, Naruto looked up numerous barriers, repellants, and containment seals to protect it. Now he was ready to put them up. He had conserved his chakra, and layed out a pattern for the seals. If it went as planned, he and the others could finish setting up the base in the morning.

The blond joged carefully around town before heading off to the area. He kept his senses tuned. In the week since their disastrous 'mission', Naruto had caught Ibiki following them three times. Fortunately, they had been doing very innocuous things each time. First they were heading to Shino's home to look up more jutsu for them all to work on. Once Naruto had noted the jonin, they had forestalled their plan and headed to the main part of the house and played Shogi and Go instead. The second time, they had been out shopping for equipment together. Naruto had made a second trip later to get his sealing supplies. The third time, Shino had been taking them to his favorite restaurant. After that first instance, they had worked much more quickly to find and prepare a place to train. Naruto was headed out to put one of the last bit in place. More work would be needed, such as stockpiling supplies and food in the house, and setting up entrances and escapes. But for now, if they just had a place away from prying eyes, the rest could come later.

He dodged between the trees and shrubs, before dropping down a small ravine and following it along to the edge of the trees that hid their clearing. He hopped up onto the bank and set about the first of his barriers. He laid out his supplies and selected the sheaf of paper seal. They were all blank. He carefully scrawled a barrier tag on to the paper, and laid it down on the ground, partially activating the seal. He moved four feet the left, and set down another. He kept this up, putting down more than twenty seals around their area. He next took hold of the tendrils of chakra and laced them all together. He wrote four more seals, placing them in a diamond shape on the ground in the center of the rough circle he had made. These would be the binding seals that ancored the ones on the outside edge.

The boy sat and breathed slowly and deeply. He had to engage the seals simultaneously, and then anchor them all. He waited for a few more seconds to get a feel for the seals, and then lit them up. He was counting on the lack of people in the area, and the added disturbance of ANBU headquarters to keep anyone from noting the fluctuation of chakra this was causing. Naruto breathed out, counted to three, and activated the seals. The power rush was a bit disconcerting, but he kept it in check, just enough to get the seals to take. Anchoring them was harder, having to connect the four in the center and the outer ring within seconds of activating them. He managed it. The chakra took and he practically saw the shimmer of a barrier form. Slumping back, the blond breathed deeply, waiting for something to happen. When ten minutes had gone past with nothing going wrong, he started up the second layer. This one involved a repelling barrier and a chakra containing shield. It was his own creation, and he was very pleased with how it functioned in his apartment. He stood up and got out more seal paper. Three hours later, it was fully dark. Naruto was laying down on the grass, watching a shimmery dome that now covered the area. He grinned. _Chakra exhaustion will suck tomorrow, or in a few hours I guess. But this is worth it. We can be safe here. No one can get in here, no one can find this place, and we can't be detected._ He laughed quietly. How long had he wished for somewhere to be safe, hidden away from the harsh eyes of the village? This- his space and his team- were an answer to his lonely prayers. A rumble in the back of his head sounded.

" _Wait to see if it works before you celebrate, brat."_ Naruto flinched, and sat up. He needed to get back and sleep for a few hours before training. He'd let Shino and Shikamaru know tomorrow night, after he let the seals settle and double checked them all.


	38. Chapter 36

Hello readers! I would like to take a moment to apologize for how log it has taken me to update this story. I had every intention of updating in the beginning of January, then I pushed it back, and back again. Then life happened, school and work happened, and I didn't get anything done. I'm so sorry to leave you all hanging for so long! I think I have a handle on my life at the moment, and I'll be trying to update once a month or so. I'm a full time student, and I work around 30 hours a week, so spare time is rare for me. Nevertheless, I am still in love with the Naruto fandom, and look forward to continuing my writing. I hope you can all put up with me and stick around a while. :) Thanks for your patience. Now on to the story! (Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or profit from this story.)

Ibiki was going insane trying to figure out his genin. The three boys had done their penance with little complaint. The harsh workouts and practice session he had assigned had once again met their limits, and pushed them past it. The jonin could not however, tell what else they were hiding. There had been no explanation for the seals, or for what possessed them to try such as thing in the first place. The jonin didn't wholly buy the idea that they were testing their knowledge practically. He'd payed more attention to them as they'd trained the last week, and he knew that they had a good grasp of what they could do. There was something else behind their foray. The jonin had taken to trying to follow the when he could after he let them go from training. So far, he had found them doing nothing other than spending time together. He now knew that Shikamaru beat the other two at Go and Shogi, and that Shino like green tea, but nothing about their other activities he was sure they were doing. Ibiki had finally relented and decided to talk to Shikaku about them. The other jonin was much more comfortable around children, and could know what his son was up to.

He was currently knocking on the front door to Shikaku's office in the Hokage tower.

"Yeah?" was drawled out from behind the paneling. Ibiki grinned and pushed open the door.

"Don't tell me, this is so troublesome?" Shikaku flopped down on the small stack of paperwork on his desk.

"You've been around Shika too long." The other man grumped. Ibiki scowled and sat in the other armchair in the office.

"Apparently not." Shikaku raised an eyebrow. "I can't weasel him out of his secrets without resorting to proper interrogation formats." The other brow rose.

"Really? What is going on for you to feel the need?" The T&I leader shrugged.

"Last week they took of on me during a training exercise. They ran into the village, without me noticing, and then proceed to stay disappeared for three hours." Shikaku whistled lowly.

"Ok, yeah. That doesn't sound like the three of them at all."

"It gets better. When I caught them, they had gotten back to the training area and made some half-assed attempt at the drill that I assigned before the whole thing. There were seals, unlike the ones you can buy, and several jutsu I didn't teach them were used." The commander frowned, the same expression that Shikamaru made when he was thinking hard.

"That doesn't sound right at all. I have no idea where a genin would be able to learn to make seals, or use them either. What else have you done to try and get answers?"

"I questioned them immediately after the incident, and then required them to write me a report on the whole thing. I've also been paying attention to them during and after training. I haven't seen much of anything though. That is part of what worries me. I don't expect genin to be able to hide things from a jonin. Or to feel the need to for that matter." Shikaku nodded.

"Yes. I don't know specifically what they might be doing. The spend time together often, at our home, or the Aburame clan. I haven't seen or heard them doing anything out of the ordinary. They do sometimes run drills, but they are basic ones." Ibiki nodded.

"That's what I came up with. I suppose I need you to keep an eye out for anything else."

"Will do." Ibiki left the office feeling no more sure about his three terrors than before. _Well, I suppose this will be a good chance to develop other methods of gathering information. Maybe I can set a few newbie ANBU on them._

Naruto approached the area covered by his seals slowly. It had been more than two days since he'd put up the mass of barriers and seals. Ibiki had been on them too much for him to check earlier though. He toed the outer edge of the barrier, testing it. He had his senses focused on the area close to himself, and was trying to note any and every reaction the field had. So far, he could barely feel the ambient chakra of it. He walked through the first layer and paused. Nothing happened. He had feared that any disturbance would cause them to fail. Cautious still, the blond edged towards the next layer and tested it again. Nothing. He walked through it easily. He walked to the center, where he'd anchored the seals and felt around as best he could for anything that shouldn't have been there. He took a deep breath and gathered chakra slowly. The seals did not react. He carefully released the chakra to create a set of four clones of himself. Still nothing.

"Whew." He turned his attention to the clones. "Go scope out the edge of the area, and report back." The clones took off while Naruto knelt and unsealed a scroll he'd been carrying. It was a smooth chunk of a hard grey stone, about as large as a tree stump. The thing was heavy, and sturdy. Naruto waited for his clones to return before moving the stone.

"Nothing to report Boss."

"The seals seem to be uniform, no gaps."

"Yup, we even went out and back in, and still nothing." Naruto nodded and dismissed them. _That's good. I guess I'll move on to this one, then set up an emergency exit._ He sat and ran his fingers over the etching he'd done the night before. The stone was to function as the key to all the wards, tying them all together, and allowing Naruto to manage them more easily. It would be placed in the small house after he set it up. The blond fed his chakra into the seals carved on the stone and watched them glow. Then he used his chakra to reach out and light up the other seals. Sweat broke out on his forehead. Both strands of chakra were wavering.

"Damn it, not now." He took a breath and held it, trying to steady his chakra. It was hard to do such delicate things with his excess of energy. After fifteen seconds, he slowly breathed out and pulled the strands together to the stone. He then folded his hands into a seal. "Release…" He mumbled. The chakra faltered, then took, connecting to the key stone and settling after a few seconds. Naruto collapsed.

"Ok, no more work tonight. That was too stressful." " _It will get worse… just wait till you start going on missions, little brat."_ A growl echoed in his head. _I am ignoring you!_ Naruto thought. He stood and started moving the stone towards the house. He ended up summoning a set of clones to help, but they eventually settled the key behind a second stone door, in the back of the house. Naruto lay down in the back room next to his handiwork and sighed.

"Kay, tomorrow, I'll bring the others in and key then to the wards. And- haaa- and then we can start…" He lost the thought as we dozed off.

It was late at night, past 10, when the three boys made their way through the trees to their spot. Shino was softly buzzing, his kikaichu sensing his excitement. Shikamaru was in the back, helping to cover their movements with a small shadow jutsu. It blurred their forms just enough to make them unidentifiable, just in case. Naruto stopped at the edge and waited for the other two to move closer.

"So I will need to have a bit of your chakra to get you through." Shikamaru simply fed his jutsu closer around the three of them. Shino pulled a tendril of chakra for the blond. Naruto used his hold of the wards to open it slightly.

"Ok, go through, wait in the clearing." The two boys darted in and Naruto closed the ward after them.

"That felt weird." Shikamaru yawned. Naruto stopped beside them.

"What did?"

"When we passed through the barrier, there was a strange buzz, or a tingle. It almost bent to follow us in." The brunet replied. Naruto shrugged.

"Well that was weird. It doesn't do that to me."

"Logically the barrier would respond differently to the one who set it us. Why? Because chakra and jutsu used retain the signature of the one who cast it." Shino piped up.

"Yeah, could be. Here, the key is in the house." Naruto lead them farther in. "Back here." Shikamaru whistled lowly.

"Wow, you got this in here by yourself?"

"Ah, well with the help of some clones." The shadow user huffed.

"Darn it all, those things are so useful." Naruto nodded.

"I know, I've been working on it. With the hideout mostly done, I can to more testing on my idea."

"Let's get this done with. I have a bunch of stuff to stockpile here. I think my dad knows something is up too. He asked what I was doing with so many scrolls in my room yesterday." Shino sat on an old bench next to the stone.

"That is somewhat expected. With the way Ibiki-sensei has been questioning us, I expected our parents to get involved at some point." There was a moment of silence. Naruto broke it with a nervous tap to the stone.

"All the more reason to make sure this works. I don't see anything wrong with our studying, but… I don't know. At the academy, things were so limited." The other two murmured in agreement. "So, put your hands here, by the triangular space. Then I will open part of the binding on the seal, just this part here. It will glow and that's when you pulse a bit of chakra into it. It will reset the repelling wards to allow both of you in. Unfortunately, I have to do this for each layer, so it will take a bit." They repeated the process again and again. Each time the seals reset, they were stronger.

When the last seal had settled, the three boys trekked back out of the small house into the open air.

"Whew! I don't think I could be a seal expert. That took too much concentration and chakra for me." The Nara boy commented. Naruto grinned.

"It's hard to do, I know. But I think my family must be built for it. I mean, what little I have found out about them all revolves around chakra reserves and such." Shino was flying his hive around the clearing, and the other two boys just watched him for a while.

"Do you think we should just tell Ibiki-sensei that we have been training on our own?" Naruto asked eventually. Shikamaru rolled over in the grass to look at him.

"Hmm, I mean, we thought about it, and we found reasons to not tell him. I know that he suspects something, and I know we probably should, but…" Naruto nodded, sitting down beside him.

"I get it. I think this place, and our private work, its' ours. I don't really want to share it with anyone, and I don't want to be told not to." Shikamaru smiled.

"Yeah, we're a team, and this is ours. Maybe someday it will be better to tell him." Naruto shrugged. He wasn't sure he could trust the jonin with something so big. He knew he trusted the man to be a fair teacher and leader, and he even trusted him with her well being. But this was still to tender for the blond to want to share it.

"Maybe." He muttered.


	39. Chapter 37

Author's note: AHHH! I just remembered that I hadn't updated this story yet! Never fear! I have been doing better with writing new chapters lately, (knock on wood, I will be able to keep it up!). This chapter is a bit of a break from the previous ones, but soon I will be moving on to more fast paced development. I know some readers are waiting for some of the cannon events to roll around. We'll get there soon. Please enjoy. (Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or profit from this story.)

Shikamaru had his pack of sealing scrolls, courtesy of their resident seal master, and was headed out to the hideout. It was a Saturday, their rest day this week. He'd talked the other two into actually taking a break from training or meeting. The Nara was ready to set up the rest of the base. He had gone through everything several times to make sure he had thought of everything needed.

Walking to the base was easy, now that he was keyed to the wards. He stopped in the largest room in the old sod house- the living room/dining room and unpacked several of the scrolls. The boys had pooled their resources together to outfit the base. They had bundles of weapons, mostly shuriken and senbon, to start off their small armory. Naruto was working on exploding tags to add. Those Shikamaru stashed in small baskets on one of the built-in shelves. Next, he went into a low door to the right. This was the one bedroom. Shino had modified it using earth jutsu. Where there had once been a single small room with one bed, there was now a larger room with three alcoves for sleeping and a small central area. The beds were just a couple of extra futon that they'd managed to smuggle in, but they could sleep there if needed. Shikamaru opened up another scroll and set out extra clothes and blankets on each bed. A set of oil lanterns were hung up and a rough woven rug went on the floor. Next he moved to the kitchen.

There had been a set of old pots and pans that were salvageable, but all the other dishes and utensils had to be bought. Right now, Shikamaru only had three sets of the bare essentials to fill the cupboards. The food though, they had better supply. Naruto had developed a storage seal for food. It dried and sealed food for up to two months. The Nara didn't like that his friend had a need to come up with something like that, but it helped them out here, so he kept quiet. In the week they had to prepare, they had all chipped in to provide the food. It took the boy almost half an hour to stow it all in the shelves, organizing it all meticulously.

Lastly, came furniture- a few small stools he had pilfered from the old storage shed at home- and little things like lanterns, books and scrolls, a rug for the front entry, and a Go set. Shikamaru did another once over, and then left. The three of them were planning to come and test out the wards a bit more tomorrow. The Nara didn't linger. He knew that Choji and Ino were coming over with their parents this afternoon. He was looking forward to seeing his friends, even if Ino was too loud for her own good.

Ino watched as Shikamaru and Choji lazily played their game of Shogi. The blond girl was perplexed. She was a watcher, the art of body reading having been ingrained in her at a young age. She was used to watching people and seeing things about them that others couldn't. And so she watched, in the Academy, at home, around the village, on D-ranks, it did not matter. She watched. What she was seeing now thought, made no sense.

Choji had been growing with his team. He was more independent and he held himself with pride. He contributed more of his own thoughts to their conversation now. Ino was glad to see it. Shikamaru though, she wasn't sure what to think about _his_ changes. He was less emotive in some ways. His eyes were darker, and more cautious than before. The energy around the Nara had changed as well. Before he was calm, placid, and relaxed. There was a tinge of… something there now. She could see the tension he held, body and mind ready, aware. But his aura and chakra were undefinable. It unnerved the girl to see her lazy, easy going friend change so much in ways she could not read. He'd also been very close-lipped about his team and their training. Choji chattered away about this team, and she had chipped in just as much. Shikamaru though, had been mostly silent.

"So Shika, how are Shino and Naruto doing?" Choji had asked, bless his heart. Ino had been too preoccupied to find a way to ask. Shikamaru sighed and leaned back against his chair.

"I suppose we are all doing well. We got in trouble for something a few weeks ago though." Ino bit her tongue at the uninformative answer. Choju hummed.

"I guess that sounds a bit like you and Naruto, but how did you get Shino to go along with whatever it was?"

"We just decided to change out assignment a bit after it had already been set. Ibiki-sensei got mad at us for it." Choji blanched.

"He's so scary! I couldn't imagine making him angry at me." Ino tapped her chin.

"I suppose you get accustomed to people eventually." Shikamaru just hummed. Ino tried to get more information out of the brunette, but he was remarkably close lipped when it came to his team, and their training. Eventually, she gave up.

Shikaku had listened in on his son's conversation, and found himself both proud and worried. A team became like family, and things that went on with the team stayed that there. He also knew about Ibiki's goal of teaching the kids T&I-esque skills. Ino might have learned about observation and questioning, but he didn't have any experience with the darker aspects of that branch of training. Team Ibiki was going far more in-depth than most chuunin, and even some jonin ever went. It was probably a good thing for his son to keep that kind of skill to himself. What bothered him about it was that there was absolutely no information being shared. No complaints about hard training, or stupid D-rank mission, nothing about the time the three boys spent at the Nara clan compound. Shikaku didn't like that secretiveness. It spoke of distrust, or possibly fear. What could his son have to fear from his two childhood friends? There was also a level of calculation and while behind his actions that was unwarranted. It was the type of behavior Shikaku associated with ANBU, or senior jonin, but without the dangerous edge. He'd have to try and poke at the issues gently.

Meanwhile, Ino wrestled the two boys into talking about their plans for the day.

"What do you mean nothing!? Shikamaru! You need to have more ambition. You can't keep doing the bare minimum." Choji chuckled and sat back with a bag of chips.

"Good going Shika." He laughed. The brunette sighed, and leaned back with the other boy.

"I have plenty of drive when I'm at work." Ino huffed.

"I bet that's only because Ibiki-san would bust your butt if you didn't do your work." Shikamaru groaned, and nodded.

"He does. I can't even take a nap, or could watch during training." Choji burst into more chuckles, and Ino laughed a bit despite herself. And that was the end of that discussion. Shikamaru pulled Choji into a very one sided game of Shogi, and Ino watched. The three kids spent another hour together, before they and their parents went their separate ways for the day.

Naruto had an idea for a jutsu\seal. He'd been working on it in fits and starts in his apartment or during their after hours training. The idea of his clones being used for training had struck a chord with him and he'd been trying to make the sturdy enough for real sparring or mission runs ever since. He had tried slightly altering the jutsu itself, but had no success. Then he'd had an idea for a seal to combine with the jutsu, but it too had failed. The idea, as he excitedly rambled to Shino one day, was to run the jutsu through a seal to make the clones more durable.

The problem was with the combination. So far, either the seal activated, or the jutsu worked, but not both. He had tried writing the seal on normal sealing paper, putting them on his hands when he did the jutsu, writing the seal on his hands, and several other combinations. None of them worked. The blond was currently at their hideout, at four in the morning. He had tried dozens of seals, seal variations and positions. He had tried toying with the timing of the activations. Nothing. This morning was the third day of his struggle. All afternoon he had been trying things, and dodging the small explosions that often resulted from the failures. Shikamaru had urged him to go home and sleep. Naruto hadn't listened. He had to do this. He recalled his conversation with Shino, how he had been so sure that he could find a solution. The blond boy shook his head and tried to focus. He'd been there at the base alone for four hours so far, and he had had it. A hour ago, he'd started talking aloud to try and think more clearly.

"This isn't working! I know I told Shino I could come up with something, so this has to work! One more try, just one more…" He muttered as he tried his latest combination- tying the seal slips to kunai and activating the jutsu and seal simultaneously. His hands were shaking from sleep deprivation as well as chakra depletion from hundreds of failed seals and clone jutsu. As he tied on the last of the seal papers, one of the three kunai slipped, nicking his fingers.

"Damn it all!" He tightened his grip and ignored the blood. The kunai sailed a few feet away and he activated the jutsu.

"Shadow Clone jutsu!" A puff a smoke later, and two clones stood where the kunai had been. The third tag lay inert on the ground. Naruto sagged with relief.

"At least the jutsu worked." Now he had to test the clones. The blond rolled his shoulders and threw himself into an attack. The clone countered. His shin connected to the clones hip. Naruto bounced back. He skidded slightly, and then threw back his head and giggled almost hysterically. A low rumble in his head could hardly distract him.

"I guess… This at least partly worked… I don't know how much… I mean…" He slumped down and watched the clones. He sighed. " _Have them spar. Watch. Don't be an idiot, or at least more of an idiot."_ There was that low voice again. Naruto huffed, too tired to work out if he should be worrying about it right now. He eventually- or was it quickly, He didn't have much concept of time right now- decided that it didn't matter. He sat up slowly, his joints aching and his skin feeling to tight, signs of chakra exhaustion.

"Go ahead and spar. Don't go for kills, just see how much of a beating you can take." He sat and watched the two clones fight. With each jutsu preformed and each attack that connected, he felt a growing sense of excitement. Had he succeeded in creating his idea? It was an indeterminate time later that the blond found himself slipping into sleep with the sounds of the spar still ringing through the area.


	40. Chapter 38

Hello, just a few notes for this chapter. First, I wanted to give some credit where it is due. Parts of this chapter are heavily inspired by another fanfic, called "Naruto: Myoushuu no Fuuin" by May Wren. Her story has been incomplete for about seven years, but it is a personal favorite of mine. So as not to spoil this chapter, I'll put a second note at the end with more details of what was inspired by her fic. The second matter of business is a slight warning for this chapter. It's nothing to bad, but one character has a panic attack, and there is some psudo- character death and blood. It isn't graphic, but if these are things that bother you, please be aware. If you _don't_ want to read this chapter, but still want to know what happens, let me know and I will send you a summary of it. Thanks for you time! Now on to the chapter.

"Get up, we have twenty minutes to get to the team meeting." Naruto woke up to the irritated drawl of Shikamaru. The brunette was hovering over the other boy with a scowl and a small bag dangling from one hand. Naruto blinked once, then shot up.

"Sh-! I fell asleep!" Shikamaru pushed him hurriedly towards the base.

"Yeah, we noticed when you didn't show for our pre-meeting meeting. Shino is keeping an eye out for Ibiki. I brought a snack, you'll have to use one of the spare sets of clothes here." Naruto darted off to change. Shikamaru sighed and followed him, noting the dozens of kunai and burned out seal papers dotting the ground. There were also small holes and scorch marks in the grass. Naruto came back out five minutes later with clean clothes, munching on the rice balls Shikamaru had packed for him. The brunette glanced over his friend and nodded.

"You still look exhausted, but not like you spent the night working on dangerous experiments that you should have done _with others_ present." Naruto bit the inside of his cheek.

"Yeah, I know" He admitted as the pair took off at top speed towards their training ground. "But I was so close, there were only a few more tweaks that I wanted to try." Shikamaru huffed.

"Then it could have waited." Naruto didn't respond to the by now frequent argument. Instead, he glanced around and checked the area with his senses.

"I had a breakthrough, though." A small grin split his face. "I had a pair that came out finally, and they were resistant to physical and chakra damage, at least to a point." Shikamaru shot the other boy a quick, surprised glance. He and Shino had been dubious of the idea of making a more durable clone. And having seen the results of Naruto's attempts, they hadn't expected him to accomplish anything at this point in time. The idea of the blond eventually succeeding, perhaps in a few years, after he had more experience, had crossed their minds.

"Really? Details after we get through this morning, got it?" He smirked when Naruto flushed slightly. The blond was still easy to praise. They drew close to their training ground and sought out Shino quickly. The bug user was perched on a branch near a wide part in the stream.

"Ibiki-sensei has not arrived yet. I've had my kikaichu comb the area to be sure." Naruto and Shikamaru followed him down to the ground. To keep up appearances, they slowed their breathing and heartbeats with some effort. Ibiki had been teaching them to control their bodies more, but it was still difficult. Then the boys started to wander closer to their clearing. As they approached, Naruto and Shino both gave a small hum. Shikamaru nodded. Ibiki was waiting for them. They walked into the clearing and greeted him. On to another day of training and D-rank missions.

They were muddy, irritated and ready for a break by the time Ibiki let them go. Today, there had been no missions. Instead, the jonin had them doing physical endurance and training. Everything they did had to be done without chakra. Running, jumping, swimming, stealth, you name it. For Naruto, this was especially difficult. His late nights and the stiffness that came with sleeping outside cad hit. He had fared far worse than the other two boys. The saving grace of the day was his desire to show his teammates the seal/jutsu that he had completed the night before. They made it to their base after five in the afternoon. After a brief respite- snacks and hot tea- Naruto dragged the other two boys back outside.

"I have been thinking it over, and I decided that the most important factors were the level of chakra and the blood. Those two were really the only things that were different. Blood also interacts with the chakra as well as the seal. Overall, the two interact, and I think it stabilized the whole thing. So, I'll be testing some variations, both on the seal and the jutsu. I wanted to be sure that some of my observations were correct. And then-" Shino flicked a pebble at the blond.

"Naruto, we have heard this before. Logically, you dragged us out here for a reason. Do get on with it."

"Ah, haha. Yeah. Weill I got it to work at least one time." The blond rubbed at his eyes for a moment, still tired from the late night. "I think… well if it worked the way I think it did, the clones should have a much higher durability level. I can't remember the whole thing, but they lasted through a few strikes." Shino smiled behind his high collared jacket.

"I am impressed. Even if the clones are not as strong as a real person, that is a great improvement." Naruto smiled back.

"I will need to put the seal through several tests to make sure it is stable and all that." Shikamaru winced, recalling the first seal Naruto worked on with them- the one used for their disguises previously. It had only lasted half an hours at first, before it started to melt and flicker, causing discomfort as it did so.

"Definitely test it before you start using it." The two clan heirs stepped back when Naruto pulled out a kunai and a seal and quickly drew out the pattern. He pricked his finger on the kunai before tying the paper to it.

"Ok, here is goes." He tossed the kunai and activated the seal. A puff of smoke later, and a clone had appeared. Naruto nodded once and attacked the clone. The pair of Naruto's clashed, and the clone bounced back just as the real one did. Shino and Shikamaru both watched intently as the two sparred for several minutes. Taijutsu slowly shifted to kenjutsu and ninjutsu, and still the clone remained. It had suffered several hard blows, from both jutsu and weapons. Aside from looking a bit ruffled, nothing had disturbed the jutsu. Shino, the more combat oriented of the two brunettes was literally buzzing with excitement when Naruto- the real one- paused to talk with them.

"I guess my memory was accurate. I wasn't sure how much was my lack of sleep and how much was real last night."

"Indeed. If you think it is safe, I would like to spar with the clone. Why? Because I wish to improve my sparring, and a clone will allow me to attempt things I would not on either of you." The bug user glanced at Shikamaru and then tipped his head at Naruto, awaiting his response. Naruto shrugged.

"Sure. I don't know for sure that nothing will go wrong, but I don't think it will blow up or anything. At this point, I would expect the clone to start phasing in and out or something like that." The blond yawned slightly. He shrugged when both his teammates frowned at him.

"You should go rest, I'll help keep an eye on things out here." Shikamaru poked at the other boy. "You need to sleep more. Don't think I didn't notice how much slower you were today…" The warning tone brought a smile to Naruto's lips. He could really get used to being looked after, it was always a nice feeling.

"Got it. I'll take a rest."

Shino was focused, all of his attention turned to his spar. The clone of Naruto was so much like the boy, it was hard to remember that it wasn't really the shy blond at times. Jutsu after jutsu, mixed with kunai and taijutsu were traded back and forth. Shino was conserving his chakra, going for the long haul. He'd even used his kikaichu to steal some chakra from the clone at one point. Shino lost track of time, the push and pull of muscles, heat from the battle and the ever changing pace kept him to attentive to think about other things.

He was pushing himself father and faster the longer the fight went on. More and more harsh attacks, techniques they had only drilled before coming out against his opponent. The clone was starting to look a bit battered at this point. He himself was bleeding from a few cuts and a deep scrape from an earth jutsu. As if by some signal, they both shifted focus and started a truly vicious rally of attacks. Shino found himself moving more quickly and smoothly than before. He barely registered a flicker of blond hair from the corner of his eye. He swiped at his opponent with a kunai and used his momentum to carry himself over a sweeping kick. Behind now, he flicked his elbow and forearm out to catch the shoulder of Naruto. The boy stumbled and turned quickly with a counter attack. Shino was faster for once, and ducked up and under the blow.

His kunai flashed dully a fraction of a second before it plunged into the blond's chest, precisely between ribs and into the heart. Warm, rich blood poured out over Shino's hand. The smell of copper was sharp in his nose. Shino froze and looked up. Naruto's face was rapidly paling, his eyes wide. Shino stared for a long second. His mind abruptly started processing the situation. _Blood. I stabbed him. This much blood, and he's not moving anymore. What did I do?_ The other boy coughed weekly, and more blood bubbled up from his mouth. Shino sucked in a sharp breath, feeling like his head was spinning. _I killed him. He'd dying. Naruto is dead. I killed him. Killed Naruto, he's dead. My fault, why did I… What did I just do…_ A hand abruptly latched on to his arm and jerked him around forcefully. He found himself staring into another pair of eyes, blue eyes. This time, they were wide with concern.

"Shino! It's fine. That wasn't me. I'm here, see?" The Aburame blinked, not comprehending what he was hearing or seeing. A sudden pop and puff of smoke startled him. His eyes darted around rapidly. Where had the blood gone? His hand, and the kunai in it were spotless, and all he could smell now was the chalky smoke from a jutsu. The Naruto in front of him- _But didn't I kill him? He was so still and pale…_ was still talking.

"-ust the jutsu. I'm fine. There is nothing wrong. Shino? Did you hear me? It was only a clone." Clone. The word bounced around in his head for several heart beats.

"The clone." He finally rasped out. "The blood was from a clone. I killed… Naruto's clone." Shikamaru gently took over.

"Yeah. It was only the clone. Naruto is safe. No one is injured." Shino locked eyes with the other clan heir. He was still, eyes open, just breathing. Then the Aburame turned and marched off towards the trees. Naruto made to follow, and Shikamaru stopped him.

"I think he needs to be left alone for a while." Naruto bit his lip and nodded.

"Yeah, sure. You… think he'll be ok?"

Second note: The parts that are borrowed here are the premise of the durable clone, and parts of Shino's spar with the Naruto clone. It isn't an exact copy of May Wren's story, but if you read her's, you'll see where I got the idea from! (Read it! It's awesome!) I don't want to steal people's ideas, so I'll try to credit it if there are things I borrow, or am directly inspired by. Hope you enjoyed, DarthGumdrop


	41. Chapter 39

Hello! I am so so sorry for the two month delay. I keep expecting my life to settle into a routine, and then it gets crazier instead. I do still intend to keep a once a month update schedule, and I have some of the next chapter written already. Some parts of the story are getting to the faster paced events, so it should be easier to write. I hope you enjoy, and thanks for sticking around. DarthGumdrop (Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, or profit from this fic.)

It took three hours for Shino to come back. Naruto had, after a talk with Shikamaru, made another set of clones to spar with, this time henge-ed to look like a pair of masked shinobi. After the first hour of sparring, with the clones remaining solid and functioning at full power, Shikamaru had joined in. The pair had discovered that only a killing blow, or something close to that would dispel the clones. Although the longevity of the jutsu would still need to be tested, it seemed as though Naruto had created a far superior- and more usefull- clone. They had sat down to discuss the clones and possible uses for them after the long spar. What they had come up with were several mission strategies as well as some drills they could use them for. Something was nagging Naruto all throughout their discussion. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something else was important about the clones. After struggling to figure out what he was missing, he gave up and waited anxiously for Shino's return. He hadn't felt like this in so long, since the first few weeks of being on a genin team. It made him that much more determined to make sure Shino was alright. He owed so much to his two teammates. He couldn't screw up their relationship over a poorly thought out spar.

When their friend ghosted through the tree line, Naruto hesitantly stood to meet him. Shino's stepps had faltered, but he didn't stop. Naruto started talking as soon as the other boy was close enough.

"I'm sor-"

"No, Naruto. Don't apologize to me." Shino had interrupted. The Aburame stopped a few feet away and was silent. Shikamaru twitched uneasily beside Naruto.

"Are you ok?" He asked eventually. Shino glanced down at his hands, clenched as they were.

"I… believe so. Why? Because I have used logic to define the emotions I feel." Naruto couldn't help himself any longer. He rushed to close the gap between them and hugged his teammate.

"I didn't even think about what would happen if the clones were that strong, or what it would take to dispel them. I'm sorry." Shino awkwardly patted his blond teammate on the back.

"It's fine. I… think even good in a way. Why? Because this allows me to understand how death, specifically killing or losing a teammate, affects me. Logically, this was going to happen at some point, and better now than out on a mission." Shikamaru pulled them both towards the house.

"Let's go in. I think we need to just unwind a bit after all this." The other two boys followed him in, walking closely together.

The three spent a few hours just relaxing and chatting about anything but their training. Shikamaru was convinced to play a card game that did not revolve around strategy, and Naruto put aside his sealing books for the time being. Their base was cozy, wholey theirs, and they each felt more at ease than they did most other places. When they parted ways, they could all tell that something had changed. It wasn't something that others would see, but each of them felt it. The bond that they shared had deepend significantly.

The next day, Ibiki had a mission waiting for them. The D-rank was another boring task that the tree genin went about, gathering dead branches from an old plot of land, and cutting down weeds and shrubs. Ibiki was still watching his kids closely, but he had decided to stop following them. There had been an incident at the border, and he and Inoichi were busy investigating that, as well as some of the village issues regarding Naruto. He had more things to do than he had time in the day. He didn't want to divert any more of his ANBU to the task for the same reasons. Instead, he was going to keep prying at them, and trying to trip reactions. The bouncing back and forth was driving the methodical jonin crazy, and he had just about decided that this was the true reason so many jonin developed such bad habits. Children, especially ninja children, were so much trouble.

Today, when they arrived, Ibiki could immediately tell something was off. He took note of the way they acted, how they revolved around each other, feeling like something important was slipping past him. Naruto was still quiet and more reserved, but the other two subtly followed his lead. He wasn't commanding them, but he lead. Shino was the most passive of the three, except when it came to protecting Naruto. They moved around each other now with an easy grace that pleased the Jonin. The gait was that of a ninja, sure and even. He watched as they worked together, Shikamaru using a pair of shears, and Shino moving a load of branches while the blond boy gathered more. The jonin sighed. He didn't want to disrupt the team with his investigation, but the secrecy worried him. _Ah, well I suppose that they are ninja, and that comes with god knows what kind of crazy._ He waited for the last of the simple task to be completed for his announcement.

"Alright team, we will be running a trial mission. I expect you to stay within the mission parameters this time. If you do not, well..." He left the threat empty. He knew his kids were well aware of how angry he would be. The three boys tucked away their tools and then leapt through the trees after their teacher as he lead them outside the village.

Their mission, it turned out, was also an ANBU training mission, which, as Naruto had put it, was a crap shoot at best. Ibiki explained the mission details for them, sitting just outside the south gate to the village. They were grouped around a small map of the area.

"You will be a chunin team, investigating suspicious activity in our territory. You will also have a scroll to drop at a predetermined place, which we are calling a city. There will be a place there for the scroll, which is the 'person' you are supposed to deliver it to. Once the scroll has been delivered, it is untouchable, but any point up until then, it is possible for it to be stolen. I have an ANBU team out, their mission may or may not coincide or conflict with yours. Your goal is twofold, to get the scroll to the drop point safely, and perform sufficient recon and evaluation of the area, then return here. I will be observing the way you plan and execute your strategy. You have four hours to plan and complete the mission." The jonin watched them process this information. Shikamaru was already plotting out routes and possible scenarios, he could tell. Shino and Naruto were evaluating the information. Naruto glanced up at him.

"I assume, because this is training, that if we were to come into contact with ANBU, we wouldn't have to worry about actual death?" The insinuation of bodily harm was there. Ibiki grinned sharply at his genin.

"Oh they won't kill you, but they _are_ ANBU." Shikamaru sighed.

"Right, well that's something at least." He poked at the map. "Naruto, you know this area, give me details, and we can come up with some ideas." Ibiki raised an eyebrow at this, but kept silent. The blond boy peered at the map, which was very simple and had precious few details.

"This line here is a creek bed. At this time of year, it should be mostly dry. A copse of evergreens is on the west side of it. East are oaks and scrub brush. The spot marked as the 'city' is an old shrine about as big as a crate. Between the evergreen trees and the shrine there are a mix of large and small trees, fairly evenly distributed. There are some brambles, with poisonous berries over here, and some wildflowers on the edges. This spot is a small rise." The boy tapped various areas with sure fingers. Shikamaru hummed and traced over some of the areas, thinking. Ibiki was now wondering why the hell a genin, who should never have been out in this area of the woods, knew so many details of the flora, fauna and topography from memory. Shino leaned close to Naruto and tapped his elbow.

"We should devise a way to keep the scroll out of their hands." Naruto nodded and sat back.

"I could do a keyed seal, but that would only keep them out of it." Shino thought for a moment. Ibiki felt a thrill at the mention of seals. He knew that they had used some when they went after him in their previous deviation, but he hadn't been able to find out anything else about the rare art since then.

"What about a barrier combined with a keyed seal?" Naruto bit his lip and reached in his belt pouch for a slip of paper. He scribbled several symbols down.

"Uh… it could work, short term anyway. The marticies would collapse about two hours later though." Shikamaru chined in.

"That would be fine though. I have some ideas now, let's run through them all." Ibiki was fascinated with their process. Shikamaru was running through detailed, multi step mission plans, and Naruto and Shino would offer what were obviously shorthand suggestions for maneuvers and countermeasures. He knew he hadn't taught them the terms they were using, and he didn't actually know what many of them referred to. It reinforced his suspicion of their training habits outside of team practices and assigned drills.

"We could run a four-man this way, then cut-and-tie with a second set."

"No, we would be to close. Use jutsu at 1, then break up and do field cover till 2 or 3, then a four-man."

"Yeah, ok, then what about laying out a trap field? It would take time, but it could help in the long run."

"I could set a bit aside for that. How much stealth could we rely on?" The banter back and forth went on for about half an hour before they settled on something. From what Ibiki understood, Naruto would have the scroll, Shino would have a decoy. They would split up a few dozen yards into the forest, and use stealth to approach their target area. Naruto would do both recon and the scroll drop, while Shikamaru and Shino did additional recon and played dummies for the blond. There would be a clone of Naruto that would go with the two boys as well. Ibiki was interested to see how this all went. He knew that Shikamaru had a very sharp mind and the other two were also good at planning and strategy. They worked well together, and for genin, they had far surpassed the level of skill expected of the rank already. But against ANBU, it should take little to no effort for the black ops ninja to keep track of them. Ibiki decided to observe from the ANBU side, and from a distance. He wanted to see what he could learn from the genin's performance without his presence interfering.


End file.
